Where have manganese-rich nodules containing copper, nickel, and cobalt been found on the Pacific Ocean floor?

Manganese-rich nodules, which serve as potential ores for copper, nickel, and cobalt, are found extensively across the Pacific Ocean floor.1

These manganese nodules are most highly concentrated in the North and South Pacific, where they can cover up to 90 percent of the seafloor in certain regions. They typically form in areas characterized by very slow sedimentation—specifically rates of 5 mm per thousand years or less—which prevents the nodules from being buried. While these deposits are of significant economic interest due to their mineral content, the development of deep-sea mining remains a subject of ongoing study and debate regarding environmental management and technological feasibility.12