There were several keynote speakers throughout the week, giving presentations that looked into different forms of mining, whether it on dry land or in the ocean, challenges of mining in arctic climates and responsible environmental mining among others.

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The high prices fetched for copper, gold and rare-earth minerals are leading to a surge in interest in mining the ocean floor.

BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush

Under the UN's Convention on the Law of the Sea, mining rights on the ocean floor are controlled by a little-known body, the International Seabed Authority, which since 2001 has issued 13 licences - with another six in prospect.

BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush

The Bush administration is urging the Senate to consent this summer to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the complex and sprawling treaty that governs shipping, navigation, mining, fishing and other ocean activities.

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Now, the legacy of all that research and exploration is the growing likelihood of large-scale mining operations, fuelled by rising mineral prices, in many parts of the ocean in the coming decades.

BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush