Abstract :
The paper will discuss the legal regime for mining of hard rock marine minerals within 200 miles of the U.S. coasts. The paper will also deal with emergent legal concepts which may become applicable within the foreseeable future. The particular minerals upon which this paper will focus include consolidated subsurface deposits such as coal, iron ore, sulpher and polymetallic sulphides, and unconsolidated surface deposits such as sand, gravel, certain heavy metal placers and manganese nodules. At present, applicable international law is composed of two elements. For those hard rock minerals located on the United States continental shelf, the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf applies. With respect to hard rock minerals located within 200 miles of the United States, but off the continental shelf, the regime of the high seas prevails, and the 1958 Geneva Convention on the High Seas is applicable. However, it should be assumed that in the foreseeable future the United States will establish a 200-mile exclusive economic zone which will extend U.S. jurisdiction to deep seabed areas within 200 miles.
