Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: The China Exploration

What we know about the world is only what we have seen or read about in books. With the advancement of technology, we have been able to map the far corners of the planet, travel to the moon and discover a whole new side of our planet, yet most of the secrets still lie hidden. Approximately, 70 percent of the crust is covered in water and what lies deep beneath the dark trenches of these water bodies is still uncovered.

China to explore Indian Ocean, Source

As many scientists believe, the depths of these water bodies hold the key to most resources on the planet, and in an effort to uncover these resources, China has deployed a manned- submersible( Jiaolong) to find precious metals such as zinc, copper and other precious resources in the Indian Ocean.

Jiaolong Submersible Source

China already has contracts to explore Indian Ocean for poly metallic sulphide ore and its research vessel had discovered two hydrothermal areas and four hydrothermal anomaly areas in February this year in southwest Indian Ocean.

The China State Oceanic Administration has quoted earlier that the discovery of poly metallic deposits in the Indian Ocean is “beyond anticipation”. They also stated that scientists onboard the “Dayang-1” research vessel also gained insights on the origins of carbonate hydrothermal areas and made successful attempts to explore for sulfide. Hydrothermal Sulfide is a seabed deposit which contains an array of precious minerals and metals such as copper, zinc, silver, gold, etc.

The mission to explore the southwest part of the Indian Ocean is approximately four months long, and is led by Yu Hongjun, the Chief Commander of the Mission. The mission includes 20 dives for the research of polymetallic sulfides, biological diversity, hydrothermal microbes and genetic resources in the southwest Indian Ocean; all to be accomplished by Jiaolong.

This is a step forward to improve our understanding of the planet and will surely help mankind discover the unexplored depths of the planet.