In this episode of The Elements of Deep Sea Mining, Professor Steinar Løve Ellefmo shares a foundational look at deep-sea minerals, how they form, and why we know so little—and yet so much—about what's under the ocean floor.

Steinar was one of the first researchers in Norway to seriously model the country’s deep-sea mineral potential. He walks us through what mineral deposits exist beneath the seafloor, how they're different from land-based resources, and how challenging it is to collect reliable data about them. We also unpack Norway’s recent political decisions—what’s actually been opened, and why terminology like exploration and exploitation has caused so much confusion.

The second half of the episode dives deep into trust, dialogue, and the challenges of making decisions across conflicting value systems. What counts as enough data? Who gets to decide? And what might it take to talk across the expert/activist divide?

“You will communicate your values to me so that I can understand your values, you will understand mine, and we will achieve some common understanding… That takes time. Many dinners, not just one.”

If you're trying to make sense of what’s at stake in the deep-sea mining debate—and how to move it forward—this episode offers a rich, grounded place to start.

🔗 Resources & Links

* Steinar Ellefmo at NTNU: https://www.ntnu.no/ansatte/steinar.ellefmo

* TripleDeep Project: https://www.ntnu.edu/sustainability/tripledeep

* Deep Sea Mining Gemini Center: https://www.sintef.no/om-sintef/gemini-samarbeidet/#EtablerteGeminisenter:

* https://www.sintef.no/om-sintef/gemini-samarbeidet/#EtablerteGeminisenter

* 2014 Report on Norwegian Deep Sea Mineral Potential: https://gemini.no/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Abstract_and_assessments_of__SMS_on_Norwegian_EEZ_16-12-2013.pdf

🎧 Timestamps03:45 – Estimating what we haven’t found yet07:24 – The 2014 estimate: from “almost nothing” to “a lot”12:15 – The four types of deep-sea mineral deposits14:50 – How and where seafloor massive sulfides form19:38 – Nodules, crusts, and rare earth-rich muds24:00 – Why economic mineral deposits are rare—and where they form27:00 – Why deposits only form in the deep sea (>800m)29:00 – Deep-sea vs land-based deposits: mineralogy and grade34:00 – What it takes to “know” a deposit: drilling and core samples37:10 – Geophysics and geostatistics: estimating the unknown47:00 – Did Norway really "open" for deep sea mining?48:45 – Exploration vs. exploitation: semantic traps and trust52:15 – Why we need more data before deciding55:09 – Carrots, licenses, and what motivates private investment57:30 – Timelines: How long before deep-sea mining could happen?1:01:00 – Misunderstanding, dialogue, and earning each other’s trust1:07:00 – Trade-offs, value conflicts, and the challenge of weighing them1:10:00 – Interdisciplinarity in action: the Deep Sea Mining Pilot and TripleDeep1:13:00 – Steinar’s closing reflections: we need minerals, but we need to think holistically1:15:00 – Where to learn more and contact Steinar

🎵 Theme music: Tamarack by Jesse Matas

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