Rocks from hydrothermal vents can spontaneously combust, posing potential risks for deep-sea mining operations
Projects involving the mining of seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits around hydrothermal vents already face criticism over their destructive nature, and now these projects may face a new concern: spontaneous combustion. A new study, published in Scientific Reports, describes how certain samples of rock brought up from SMS deposits have unexpectedly caught fire. The study indicates that…
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