Manganese nodules are a type of deep-sea mineral resource, which are spherical in shape with a diameter of several to ten odd  of centimeters. Manganese and iron oxides grow concentrically around a core that is originated from fragments of rock and/or shark teeth. As they contain abundant copper, nickel, cobalt, etc., efforts have been made for development of the manganese nodules since the 1970s. An international mining area in the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone off the coast of Hawaii has been granted by the International Seabed Authority.
In 2016, broad areas of “manganese nodule field” were discovered by a research group of Professor Yasuhiro Kato, the University of Tokyo, within the Japanese exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the Minami-Tori-Shima Island.
This exhibition sample was collected by a manned research submersible “Shinkai 6500” from the deep-sea floor in the Minami-Tori-Shima EEZ.

Manganese nodule (Towards development of the frontier resources in deep-sea)
Size: 80×40×40
Collection: Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Manganese nodules are a type of deep-sea mineral resource with high concentrations of various metals such as cobalt, nickel and copper. They are widely distributed in the global ocean, including the Japanese EEZ around the Minamitorishima Island. This sample was taken from the deep-sea floor in the Minamitorishima EEZ.