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Dig what he’s saying?

Maurice Tivey, a geologist at WHOI, addressed an international group of scientists, policymakers, environmentalists, and industry representatives who gathered at WHOI in early April 2009 for a workshop and public colloquium called “Deep-Sea Mining of Seafloor Massive Sulfides: A Reality for Science and Society in the 21st Century.” Recent commercial proposals for seafloor mining have centered on massive sulfidedeposits—rich in copper, gold, silver, and zinc—that are found at deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems. New regulations guiding mining in international waters will be determined this spring by the International Seabed Authority. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)