The processes of supply of elements to the sea floor will determine the occurrence of these deposits. Chemical elements enter seawater in a num-ber of different ways. Sometimes their ultimate source is the dissolved material in rivers draining the continents. In other cases, they are derived from hydrothermal solutions entering seawater from submarine volca-noes. Because ocean mixing processes are slow, elements introduced into seawater from a specific source can sometimes be identified at consider-able distances from that source. Thus, the oceans are by no means uni-form in composition (Cronan, 1992). Only about 10% of the ocean floor has been mapped at a resolution greater than 100 metres. Most mineral deposits, and many ocean floor features that can indicate such deposits, cannot be seen at this resolution. We need better, smarter and more efficient technologies and data-man-agement methodologies and systems if we want to know more about the ocean floor and its resource potential.Marine mineral deposits are present in many areas of the ocean, some in international waters and some in exclusive economic zones (EEZ). General recognition of exclusive economic zones as potential locations for marine mineral resources other than oil and gas dates from the early 1980s. Norway sent a proposal for the extension of its continental shelf to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2006, which was found largely acceptable in 2009. However, Norway has not issued a final proclamation of the extended boundary because of poten-tial overlaps with other countries. The current Norwegian jurisdiction is shown in Figure 1–1, including the waters surrounding the islands of Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen.