Deep Sea Mining Map: Track ISA Concessions, Hydrothermal Vents, and Ocean Biodiversity

Deep-sea mining is reshaping the ocean floor — and most of it happens out of sight. Abyssal Claims is an independent transparency platform mapping every active International Seabed Authority (ISA) exploration contract, every documented hydrothermal vent field, and the biodiversity at risk, alongside 30+ ocean and land environmental data layers on an interactive 3D globe. Built for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and the public.

Ocean Data Layers

• Mining Concessions — All active ISA exploration and exploitation contracts with contractor details, expiry dates, and environmental risk assessments.
• Hydrothermal Vents — 721 vent fields from the InterRidge Database v3.4, including active, inactive, and extinct sites with depth data.
• Biodiversity Hotspots — Deep-sea species observations from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), including endangered species flagging.
• Seamounts — 19,617 underwater mountains from Yesson et al. 2011, primary targets for cobalt-crust mining.
• Argo Floats — Real-time ocean monitoring with 90-day drift trails, depth profiles, temperature, salinity, oxygen, and pH measurements.
• Plume Tracing — Copernicus Marine ocean current backtracking to estimate sediment plume origins from mining activity.
• EEZ Boundaries — Exclusive Economic Zones from MarineRegions.org World EEZ v12.
• Protected Areas — ISA Areas of Particular Environmental Interest (APEIs) and UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites.
• Submarine Cables — Undersea telecommunications infrastructure from EMODnet.
• OceanSITES & ONC — Long-term ocean monitoring stations and observatories.

Land Data Layers

• Global Mining Footprints — 74,548 mine polygons (pits, tailings, waste dumps, processing sites) from Sentinel-2 at 10m resolution — Maus et al. 2022/2023.
• Key Biodiversity Areas — 16,000+ sites identified as the most important places on Earth for species and ecosystems — BirdLife / KBA Partnership.
• Protected Areas (WDPA) — 270,000+ protected areas globally — UNEP-WCMC / IUCN.
• Tree Cover Loss — Annual deforestation at 30m resolution (2001–2024) with weekly GLAD/RADD alerts — University of Maryland / WRI.
• Active Fires (FIRMS) — Near-real-time fire detection from MODIS & VIIRS — NASA LANCE, updated within 3 hours.
• Air Quality Stations — Real-time PM2.5, SO₂, NO₂, O₃, CO from government stations worldwide — OpenAQ.
• Tailings Dams — 1,800+ mine tailings dams with risk classification — GRID-Arendal / UNEP.
• Landslide Catalog — Rainfall-triggered landslides since 2007 — NASA COOLR / Goddard Space Flight Center.
• Global Surface Water — Surface water occurrence and change 1984–2021 at 30m — JRC / European Commission.
• Global Dams — 41,145 river barriers + 35,295 reservoir polygons — Global Dam Watch.
• Forest Carbon Flux — CO₂ emissions and removals per hectare at 30m — WRI / Global Forest Watch.
• Soil Organic Carbon — Global soil carbon stocks (top 30cm) at ~1km — FAO GSOCmap v1.5.

What Is Deep-Sea Mining?

Deep-sea mining is the extraction of metals — polymetallic nodules, seafloor massive sulphides, and cobalt-rich crusts — from the ocean floor at depths of 1,000 to 6,000 metres. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulates mining in international waters and has issued exploration contracts across the Pacific (Clarion-Clipperton Zone), Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. Commercial extraction could begin within years, despite incomplete environmental impact data and unresolved questions about damage to hydrothermal vent ecosystems and deep-sea biodiversity.

This map tracks every active ISA concession alongside the vents, species observations, and ocean monitoring data those concessions overlap — connecting policy, ecology, and infrastructure in one view.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is deep sea mining?

Deep-sea mining is the industrial extraction of mineral deposits — polymetallic nodules, seafloor massive sulphides, and cobalt-rich crusts — from the ocean floor, typically at depths of 1,000 to 6,000 metres. The metals (nickel, cobalt, manganese, copper, rare earth elements) are used in batteries and electronics. Mining is regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in international waters and by national agencies within Exclusive Economic Zones.

Where is deep sea mining happening?

Most active deep-sea mining exploration is concentrated in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, with additional contracts in the Indian Ocean, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Western Pacific. The interactive map shows every active ISA exploration and exploitation contract alongside national leasing zones from BOEM, NOPTA, NSTA, and other registries. As of 2026, no commercial-scale deep-sea mining has begun, but tests of nodule-collector vehicles started in 2022.

Is deep sea mining legal?

Deep-sea mining in international waters is legal under exploration contracts issued by the International Seabed Authority, but commercial exploitation requires a separate Mining Code the ISA has been negotiating since 2014. Within national waters, individual countries (e.g., Norway, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea) set their own rules. Several countries — including France, Germany, Spain, Chile, and Palau — have called for a moratorium or precautionary pause until environmental impacts are better understood.

How does deep sea mining damage ecosystems?

Deep-sea mining disturbs the seafloor at depths where ecosystems recover slowly — sediment plumes can travel hundreds of kilometres and smother filter-feeding life, while light and noise pollution affects species adapted to total darkness. Hydrothermal vents host species found nowhere else on Earth, and even small-scale disturbance can extirpate entire populations. Recovery timescales for polymetallic nodule fields are estimated in millions of years.

Who regulates deep sea mining?

The International Seabed Authority (ISA), based in Kingston, Jamaica, regulates deep-sea mining in "the Area" — the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, roughly 54% of Earth's seafloor. The ISA has 168 member states and operates under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Within national EEZs, regulation is handled by domestic agencies such as BOEM (USA), NOPTA (Australia), NSTA (UK), Sodir (Norway), CNH (Mexico), and others — all surfaced as separate layers on this map.

What metals are in deep-sea mining nodules?

Polymetallic nodules contain primarily manganese (~28%), iron (~6%), nickel (~1.3%), copper (~1.1%), and cobalt (~0.2%), plus trace rare earth elements. Seafloor massive sulphides are richer in copper, zinc, gold, and silver. Cobalt-rich crusts grow on seamount surfaces and contain up to 1.5% cobalt with significant tellurium and platinum-group metals. Demand is driven by battery metals for EVs and grid storage.

Data Sources

• International Seabed Authority (ISA) — Deep-sea mining contracts and boundaries
• InterRidge Database v3.4 via PANGAEA — Hydrothermal vent locations
• Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) — Marine species observations
• Argo Programme — Autonomous ocean profiling floats
• Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) — Ocean currents for plume analysis
• MarineRegions.org — EEZ and UNESCO marine boundaries
• Maus et al. 2022/2023 — Global mining footprints from Sentinel-2
• BirdLife / KBA Partnership — Key Biodiversity Areas
• UNEP-WCMC / IUCN — World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA)
• University of Maryland / WRI — Global Forest Watch deforestation
• NASA LANCE FIRMS — Near-real-time fire detection
• OpenAQ — Global air quality monitoring stations
• GRID-Arendal / UNEP — Mine tailings dams
• NASA COOLR — Global landslide catalog
• JRC / European Commission — Global surface water
• Global Dam Watch — River barriers and reservoirs
• FAO — Global soil organic carbon map