The China Geological Survey (CGS) of the Ministry of Natural Resources announced on Monday that the Chinese research vessel Haiyang Dizhi-6 (Ocean Geology-6) had just finished its 16th deep-sea geological survey expedition.
Development of marine technology
The vessel obtained several results in the survey of deep-sea geological environments as well as the development and application of important marine exploration technologies.
In order to gather important first-hand information and samples, such as polymetallic nodules, seabed rocks, and bottom-layer saltwater, the scientific team used a range of geological survey techniques throughout the journey.
Expedition’s discovery
“We have successfully collected approximately 90 kilograms of basalt samples and found high-abundance polymetallic nodules,” stated Qin Pengbo, deputy director of the CGS’s Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey’s Institute of Applied Marine Geology. “These samples provide crucial support in studying the characteristics of the mantle source region in the sea area and the Earth’s deep evolutionary processes.”
The expedition achieved significant advancements in the creation and use of technical equipment. The team finished the acceptance testing and sea trials of China’s independently built full-ocean-depth, 10,000-meter-class electromagnetic acquisition station and offshore operational system, which is also the first in the world. An abyssal rift zone in the Western Pacific at a depth of 7,737 meters provided high-quality data. The findings showed that every performance metric completely satisfied the necessary requirements.
Technological advancement
China’s deep-sea electromagnetic measurement capabilities have advanced significantly as a result of the successful sea trial, which will strongly boost hadal zone scientific study and the selection of sites for international ocean drilling.
Deep-sea exploration is increasingly tied to competition over resources and strategic influence. China’s continued investment in these missions reflects both scientific ambition and a clear interest in strengthening its long-term position in marine technology and resource exploration.
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