Planet Earth International 2009

Claiming the
Lomonosov Ridge
International law suggests that
countries can claim mineral
rights to their continental
shelf and any continuous
The oceans
extensions of the shelf. Both
provide a wealth
Russia and Denmark claim that
of opportunity for
the Lomonosov Ridge in the
ﬁ nding fuel.
Arctic Ocean extends from their
continental shelves. Russia
recently used a submersible
»
to plant a ﬂ ag on the ridge to
Seismic waves are now widely used to ﬁ nd
emphasise its claim.
and exploit oil and gas deposits. The Arctic
Ocean is a signiﬁ cant new frontier for petroleum
exploration.
hydrocarbon industry itself. Seismic waves
are now widely used to ﬁ nd and exploit oil and
where volcanoes constantly produce new In the second half of the twentieth gas deposits. In the shallow surface layers
ocean crust, which moves apart to form century plate tectonics brought new of the Earth, vibrations set up by explosive
the ocean ﬂ oors. The continents are either understanding to many areas, not least the charges are enough to enable us to see a
carried along with the ocean ﬂ oor or ride distribution of valuable minerals and few kilometres into the Earth. Commercial
over the ocean crust, which slides beneath hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbon deposits interest has driven extensive exploration
them into the Earth’s mantle at a subduction especially are frequently found at ocean of ocean margins worldwide, as companies
zone. The Earth’s surface is continually margins, where a continent has rifted apart and countries seek oil and gas resources in
recycled as the plates shufﬂ e past each and a carbon rich debris of sea creatures increasingly inaccessible parts of the world.
other and the oceans wax and wane. has been ‘cooked’ and reﬁ ned under the The Arctic Ocean is a signiﬁ cant new frontier
Seismic tomography shows very clearly the ground to become oil and gas, trapped in for petroleum exploration. It is only in recent
continuation of vanished ocean ﬂ oor under shallower reservoir rocks. years that polar exploration has become a
the surface in the form of great subducted feasible geoscience goal, as a result of the
slabs plunging into the mantle, for example, Scientiﬁ c goals technological gains of exploring the deep
so that the traces of ancient continental The value of these deposits has driven oceans – once considered something of a
collisions can be picked out many millions development of techniques to explore desert, dark and devoid of life.
of years later. and map the subsurface, mainly by the Once plate tectonics revealed that
118 PLANET EARTH www.yearofplanetearth.org
PE27.Exploration.rky.vp.indd 118 16/2/09 12:12:52 pm
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