。

在热液喷口传输的物质中，一些元素可在海底形成金属硫化物，这些硫化物富含钴、金、银、铜、铁、稀土等有用元素，能够达到足够高的品位，形成一种特殊的矿床类型——海底块状硫化物矿床。在地表矿产资源逐渐枯竭、开采难度日益增加的情况下，深海热液口的矿产资源开采成为支撑人类社会发展的新希望。目前，深海热液口金属矿产资源开采已取得初步的成功，并有望在未来实现大规模开采，这能够在一定程度上缓解人类对矿产资源的需求压力。但热液口矿产资源的开采对海底生物群落可能产生不利影响，相关研究也渐受关注。

参考资料

(资料图片仅供参考)

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[4]Lane N. The Vital Question—Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life. W. W. Norton & Company, 2015.

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[6]Brunner O, Chen C, Giguère T, et al. Species assemblage networks identify regional connectivity pathways among hydrothermal vents in the Northwest Pacific. Ecology and Evolution, 2022, 12(12): e9612.

[7]Subramanian A, Baskar S. Geomicrobiology: an emerging science and way out to environmental and health problems. International Journal of Environmental and Health Sciences (IJEHS), 2021, 3(1): 10-15.

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