Baku, Azerbaijan, Mar. 16
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran has carried out studies to explore minerals in open seas.
Behrouz Borna, deputy head of the Geological Survey of Iran, said that the studies have been conducted to find minerals at 200 meters depth in the Sea of Oman, 900 meters depth of the Caspian Sea, and 100 meters depth of the Gulf, Iran 's ISNA news agency reported March 16.
The studies have led to finding gas hydrates and manganese nodules, he added.
"The seabed is rich in minerals and we should attempt to expand exploration operations in open seas," he said.
The Islamic Republic stands among the top 15 mineral rich countries in the world and ranks first in the Middle East.
The country holds more than 7 percent of the total mineral reserves of the globe. It lies on 37 billion metric tons of proven reserves and holds more than 57 billion metric tons of potential reserves of some 68 types of minerals.
Edited by CN