# @usgs on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DI4JbRINfSQ
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69013886-usgs-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/c8be8abb0b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-04-25T17:06:23.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (@USGS) — https://gondola.cc/USGS

## Caption

All of modern society depends on minerals. ⛏️💎🔋

From the technology we use to the energy that powers our world, minerals are at the core of everything. While we often think of mining minerals from the land, did you know we can also find minerals underwater? 
 
In fact, the U.S. has more land area under the ocean than on land. Beneath the waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)—an area that extends up to 200 miles off the coast—the ocean floor is home to vast, unexplored features like abyssal plains, seamounts, and submarine canyons, as well as valuable seabed minerals.
 
The EEZ gives the U.S. special rights to explore and manage marine resources, including minerals, within that 200-mile range.

The USGS is leading efforts to map these underwater mineral resources, which are critical for powering the U.S. economy and ensuring national security. Our research not only focuses on mineral resources but also on the ecosystems and potential risks tied to extraction.
 
Click the link in today's USGS story to discover more about how these hidden ocean features could play a key role in our future.

usinterior #energy #minerals #seafloor

📹 Description: Footage of offshore seabed mineral fieldwork shows scientists aboard a research vessel using remotely operated vehicles and sediment cores to collect seabed samples for analysis. Narration is provided by USGS Research Oceanographer Amy Gartman. Close-up shots from both underwater and above show mineral and sediment samples being collected and prepared for analysis. A global map centered on the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone shows prospective seabed mineral regions in the global ocean.

## Stats

- **Views:** 42,015
- **Likes:** 882
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 31

## Tags

energy, seafloor, minerals

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