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Clarion-Clipperton Zone

0°–20°N, 110°–160°W — Central Pacific — abyssal seabed-mining region between Hawaiʻi and Mexico

What's documented

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast abyssal plain in the central Pacific, between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones. It is 4,000 to 6,000 meters deep and covers roughly 4.5 million km². The seafloor is carpeted with polymetallic nodules containing manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt; the CCZ is the center of the contemporary international seabed-mining controversy. ISA (International Seabed Authority) regulates exploration and (now) exploitation contracts here.

Public-record imagery

Location of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific.
Location of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific.Wikipedia Commons · Public domain · USGS · 2018
Deep seabed mining contract areas within the CCZ.
Deep seabed mining contract areas within the CCZ.Wikipedia Commons · Public domain · Chas. E. Harrington, National Ocean Service/NOAA · 1991
Polymetallic (manganese) nodules — the resource at the center of the seabed-mining controversy.
Polymetallic (manganese) nodules — the resource at the center of the seabed-mining controversy.Wikipedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hannes Grobe · 2023
Deep Seabed Mining Operating Areas within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone — over 1.2 million km² already licensed for exploration as of 2023. The International Seabed Authority has not yet finalized commercial extraction rules; a 2025 deadline has passed without consensus.
Deep Seabed Mining Operating Areas within the Clarion-Clipperton Zone — over 1.2 million km² already licensed for exploration as of 2023. The International Seabed Authority has not yet finalized commercial extraction rules; a 2025 deadline has passed without consensus.Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Chas. E. Harrington, National Ocean Service/NOAA · 1991