Mineral Resources Marine Mineral Resources Mineral resources are included in the larger category of physical resources, along with petroleum and natural gas. Any deposited, accumlated, or precipitated minerals in the ocean that can be used by humans is considered a mineral resource. Although there are a variety or marine minerals useful to humans, only three are discussed here. Magnesium Magnesium is the third more prevalent marine mineral.
Magnesium exists in the ocean in the form of magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate.
It is chemically or electrically extracted from the water and is then used to make magnesium metal, used in airplanes and other structural applications. Half of all worldwide magnesium is extracted from the sea. When seawater evaporates, salts like calcium carbonate, gypsum, and table salt are left behind. The evaporation process uses large ponds that the operator controls from a central station. The operator segregates the salts by shifting the brine from pond to pond at the right time in the evaporation process.