UMI 2008 • Program

UMI 2007: Marine Minerals: Technological Solutions and Environmental Challenges is the 38th annual conference of the Underwater Mining Institute, November 17-22, 2008, in Oxford, Mississippi USA.

Monday, 17 November: Welcoming Reception and Registration

6:00 PM–8:00 PM
The Inn at Ole Miss, The University of Mississippi, Alumni Drive, Oxford, MS.
UMI participants and their guests are welcome to this reception.

Tuesday, 18 November: Technical Session I

9:00 AM–5:00 PM
The Inn at Ole Miss, The University of Mississippi
Session I will focus primarily on Environment presentations. Concurrent with this session is an Oxford Day Tour for spouses and guests only from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (additional cost).

Wednesday, 19 November: Technical Session II and Banquet Dinner

9:00 AM–5:00 PM Technical Session II
8:30 AM–9:00 AM International Marine Minerals Society General Membership Meeting
Session II will focus primarily on Technology presentations.
6:00 PM–9:00 PM UMI Banquet — To be held in at the Taylor Grocery featuring “the best catfish in the world” and entertainment. Casual attire recommended.

Thursday, 20 November (7:30 AM) – Friday, 21 November (6:00 PM): Geotechnical Field Tour

This is a 2-night (1 on the road, 1 on the return in Oxford, MS or Memphis, TN), 2-day tour to the Mississippi Delta area south of Oxford, MS. A minimum of 23 participants (maximum 27) is required for this tour and the fee covers bus transportation, admission fees, double accommodations, and two dinners. Tentative stops may include: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station at Vicksburg, Denbury Enhanced Oil Recovery Compression Plant, a ligmite mine, and other sites [Vicksburg Military Park and USS Cairo gunboat; Clarksdale (“Blues” heritage) and a riverboat ride]. Download the flyer PDF.

List of Presentations (provisional)

(In order by last name of the main author/speaker or session)

The Geological Setting, Morphology and Physical Properties of Massive Sulfide Deposits: Important Parameters for Future Mining Technology
Georgy Cherkashov, VNIIOkeangeologia (Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean), St. Petersburg, Russia

Cobalt-rich Manganese Crusts in the Azores Region: Preliminary Results
Raquel Costa, Estrutura de Missão para a Extensão da Plataforma Continental (EMEPC) (Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf), Portugal

High Sulfidation Submarine Hydrothermal Systems of the Mariana Arc
Cornel de Ronde and Robert Ditchburn (Speaker), GNS Science, Wellington, New Zealand

Ocean Mining Research of China — Technical Solution and Activities
Liuhuai Ding, Changsha Institute of Mining Research, Hunan, China

Physiological Ecology and Biodiversity of Animal Life around Hydrothermal Vents and Hydrocarbon Seeps
Charles Fisher, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania US

Platinum and Some Other Trace Metals in Ferromanganese Crusts: Geochemical Models to Explain Contradictions
Peter Halbach, Free University, Berlin, Germany

Polymetallic Nodules - A New Approach
David Heydon, Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. & Tonga Offshore Mining Limited

Continued Research Efforts for the Development of Deep-sea Mining Equipment
Bart Hogeweg, MTI Holland BV, The Netherlands

Field Results Using an Electromagnetic Conductivity Sensor for Deep Sea Mineral Exploration
Eric Jackson, Ocean Floor Geophysics, Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Submarine Gravity Surveys Using Airborne Gravimeter Technology
Eric Jackson, Ocean Floor Geophysics, Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Geophysical Exploration of Seafloor Massive Sulfide Deposits in the Northeast Lau Basin
Hyun Sub Kim, Deep-sea and Marine Resources Research Department, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, Ansan, Korea

Environmental Management of a New Minerals Frontier
Campbell MacKenzie, Neptune Minerals Plc, Sydney, Australia

Perspective on Future Metal Supply from the Oceans
Julian Malnic, Direct Nickel, Sydney, Australia

Technology Solutions for Seafloor Mining off New Zealand
Simon McDonald, Neptune Minerals Plc, Sydney, Australia

Ore Facies of a New Hydrothermal Massive Sulfide Cluster at 13°31'N, Mid Atlantic Ridge: First Results
Irina Melekestseva, Russian Academy of Sciences, Miass, Russia

Deepwater Oil and Gas Development Technology — Applications for Marine Mineral Extraction
Martin Morrison, INTEC Engineering, Houston, Texas US

Potential Controls of Sediment Distribution on the Genesis of Seabed Manganese Nodules
Kiseong Hyeong and Cheong-Kee Park (Speaker), Deep-sea and Marine Resources Research Department, Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, Ansan, Korea

Nautilus Minerals — Developing the World’s First Deep-water Metaliferous Hard Rock Mine
Stephen Rogers, Nautilus Minerals, Queensland, Australia

The Challenges of Making Deep Sea Mining Sustainable
Hans Smit, Marine and Mineral Projects, South Africa

An Environmental Impact Assessment of Seafloor Mineral Extraction
Samantha Smith, Nautilus Minerals, Queensland, Australia

Special Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute (MMRI) Technology Session:

Acquisition of High Resolution Bathymetric and Sub-Bottom Data Using an Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (AUV)
Vernon Asper, The University of Southern Mississippi, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi USA
Osmosampler: A Salt-Gradient Powered Prove Device to Provide Temporal Records of Pore Fluid Concentrations in the Deep Seabed
Jeff Chanton, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida USA
A Hybrid Deep Water ROV for Sea Floor Operations from Small Vessels
Paul Higley, Specialty Devices, Wylie, Texas USA
Role of Microbe-Mineral Interactions in Seafloor Gas Hydrate Accumulations
Rudy Rogers, Mississippi State University, Mississippi USA
Importance of In-Situ Gas Hydrate Storage for Recovering Hydrocarbon Gases from the Seafloor
Rudy Rogers, Mississippi State University, Mississippi USA

Distribution Pattern of Polymetallic Nodules and Associated Megabenthic Community
Valcana Stoyanova, Interoceanmetal Joint Organization, Poland

Research Activities by the Marine Environment Survey and Assessment Group in the Research Consortium for Methane Hydrate Resources (MH21 project) in Japan
Shunji Sukizaki, Marine Biological Research Institute of Japan, Co., Ltd., Japan

Into the Deep: The Feasibility of Accessing Deep Sea Deposits
Caroline Suykerbuyk, MTI Holland BV, The Netherlands

An Integrated Geophysical & Geological Mapping of Deep-sea Cobalt-rich Ferromanganese Crusts: A Case Study at a Seamount of the Federated States of Micronesia, South Pacific
Akira Usui, Department of Geology, Kochi University, Japann

Variability in Environmental Characteristics of Hydrothermal-Vent Ecosystems: What’s at Risk?
Cindy Lee Van Dover, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina US

The IMMS Code for Environmental Management of Marine Mining: Review and Comments
Philomene A. Verlaan, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, Hawai‘i USA

MHC: Buried Treasure or a Threat to Our Species?
Tony Wakefield, AW Wakefield, United Kingdom

Modeling of Chemosynthetic Ecosystem around Methane Seepage and the Application for Hydrothermal Vents
Tetsuo Yamazaki, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan

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