The Clarion-Clipperton Zone’s nodules are estimated to contain more nickel and cobalt than all terrestrial reserves — but commercial mining is still waiting on permits and an unfinished global rulebook
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone contains more cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper than every land-based reserve combined. After 150 years untouched, commercial extraction is now measured in months, not decades — and the science needed to regulate it is still being gathered.