In 2020, Japan performed the first successful test extracting cobalt crusts from the top of deep-sea mountains to mine cobalt—a mineral used in electric vehicle batteries. Not only do directly mined areas become less habitable for ocean animals, but mining also creates a plume of sediment that can spread through the surrounding water. An investigation on the environmental impact of this first test, published July 14 in the journal Current Biology, reports a decrease in ocean animals both in and around the mining zone.
Click here for original story, Ocean animals vacate areas both around and outside deep-sea mining operations, finds study
Source: Phys.org