Chinese team finds 11,700 new viruses in world’s biggest seabed metal deposit
Por Shi Huang — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Science China Science Chinese team finds 11,700 new viruses in world’s biggest seabed metal deposit
Research into a marine area with vast metallic deposits uncovers a wealth of viral lineages and genetic resources
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Shi Huang Published: 12:00pm, 14 Oct 2026
Up to 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii, billions of potato-shaped metallic nodules are scattered across the seabed.
The Clarion-Clipperton zone’s reserves of vital metals such as nickel, cobalt and manganese could surpass the total known reserves on land, according to some estimates.
While no commercial mining has yet taken place on the underwater plain, the International Seabed Authority has issued 17 exploration contracts for the area, five of which are held by China.
But a recent in-depth study of the zone by a Chinese research team has shown that future deep-sea miners will discover more than mineral wealth – they will encounter countless mysterious viruses . Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice