Trump administration expands target areas for deep-sea mining in the Pacific By Mar-Vic Cagurangan The Ocean Exploration Trust today launches its two-week seabed-mapping expedition around the Mariana Islands, the first of five trips scheduled this year to survey the region's uncharted ocean floor, which the Trump administration seeks to lease for critical-mineral extraction. OET said the expeditions aim to "fill critical gaps in ocean knowledge" by charting the deep ocea

“We’re not guaranteed to take another direct hit,” he said, “but the likelihood of a direct hit is going to be much higher than a La Niña year.”