Clarion-Clipperton Zone Archives - Astrobiology

Collection of a sea pig crawling across the nodule-covered seafloor in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone. Photo: ROV Isis/SMARTEX

Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Deep-sea Species Discovered During Mining Test At 4,000 Meters

by Keith CowingDecember 16, 2025December 17, 2025

There is a high demand globally of critical metals, and many countries want to try extracting these sought-after metals from the seabed. An international study, which has discovered large numbers […]

Polymetallic nodules, also called manganese nodules, on the floor of the Pacific Ocean; surprising new research suggests deep sea rocks are capable of producing oxygen without help from plants or the sun. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Geomar Bilddatenbank/ROV KIEL 6000, GEOMAR

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Origin & Evolution of Life, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Oxygen Produced In The Deep Sea Raises Questions About Extraterrestrial Life

by Keith CowingAugust 27, 2024August 27, 2024

Over 12,000 feet below the surface of the sea, in a region of the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), million-year-old rocks cover the seafloor. These rocks may […]

Polymetallic nodule. CREDIT Franz Geiger/Northwestern University

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Deep-ocean Floor Produces Its Own Oxygen

by Keith CowingJuly 22, 2024July 22, 2024

An international team of researchers, including a Northwestern University chemist, has discovered that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor produce oxygen — 13,000 feet below the surface.

This transparent-bodied sea cucumber belongs to the Elpidiidae family and is called 'unicumber'. You can clearly see its intestines and that it has been eating sediment. We can only guess what the long tail is used for, but probably to be able to swim. Photo: SMARTEX/NHM/NOC

Away Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving

Away Team Report: Unknown Species Discovered On A Deep-sea Expedition To The Clarion Clipperton Zone

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2024June 9, 2024

Transparent sea cucumbers, bowl-shaped sponges, and pink sea pigs are some of the fascinating animals discovered during a deep-sea expedition to the Pacific Ocean.

Field of manganese nodules on the sea floor. ROV KIEL6000 GEOMAR CREDIT ROV KIEL6000 Geomar

Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Unexpected Biodiversity On Earth’s Ocean Floor

by Keith CowingJanuary 26, 2024January 26, 2024

Hydrothermal vents and manganese nodule fields in the deep oceans contain more biodiversity than expected. That is shown by the thesis that NIOZ-marine biologist Coral Diaz-Recio Lorenzo will defend at […]

Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs) and exploration mining contract areas, both active and reserved, are shown in outline. The type localities of all species described from the CCZ to date are also shown (185 in total). Background layer: the GEBCO Grid, 2022. -- Current Biology

Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Societal Issues, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Deep Sea Surveys Detect Over Five Thousand New Species In Future Mining Hotspot

by Keith CowingMay 28, 2023May 26, 2023

There is a massive, mineral-rich region in the Pacific Ocean—about twice the size of India—called the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which has already been divided up and assigned to companies for […]