Surveying for marine minerals

Abstract

A survey chart or plan is only as useful as it may be used to accurately locate places, objects oi interest etc. Land survey plans can be prepared accurately and can be used as a guide to the user. There are many types of surveys. Aerial surveys enable a pictorial man of a vast area in a small time. Underground surveying is used in mining. All the plans prepared from each application must have one basic quality-accuracy and reliability so that of these maps or charts may not waste time in locating features shown in the map. The first step to assessing marine minerals is to accurately survey the geology of the submarine terrain and record the results on a survey chart. The inherent inaccuracies in offshore hydrography are many. What constitutes a hydrographic seismic survey ? Instrumentation demands familiarity with sophistication in electronics, personnel require specialised training, surveying costs a lot of money. We may not in our lifetime either fully measure or benefit from our efforts to assess marine minerals but we can and must set in motion a plan for posterity so that mankind may use their mineral resources more wisely than they have done of the resources on land.