大洋的底部蕴藏着丰富的矿产资源,而赋存于深海沉积物表层的锰结核,就是其中最有经济价值的一种。早在1872年到1876年之间,深海调查船“挑战者”(Challenger)号在其环球海洋考察过程中,就发现世界各大洋广泛分布着铁锰结核。其后,不少学者从学术的角度,对它进行过一系列的调查和研究。 The bottom of the ocean is rich in mineral resources, and manganese nodules, which are deposited on the surface of deep-sea sediments, are among the most economically valuable ones. As early as 1872 to 1876, the deep-sea surveyor Challenger challenged the discovery of the widespread distribution of ferromanganese nodules in all the world’s oceans. Since then, many scholars from the academic point of view, conducted a series of investigations and studies on it.