Morocco Spain Underwater Phosphate Critical Metals Dispute

Tropic Mount is not yet a mine. It is already a diplomatic card. Published in the journal Minerals, a study conducted by several European researchers analyzes deep phosphorites in the northeastern Atlantic, notably those of Tropic Mount, Seine Mount and Galicia Bank. It shows that these phosphate rocks are not only an agricultural or industrial resource: they can also serve as an indicator to locate critical metals.

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On Tropic Mount, the studied phosphorites present high P₂O₅ contents, comparable to those of exploited terrestrial deposits. But the most strategic point lies elsewhere. The study highlights the association between these phosphates and ferromanganiferous mineralizations, known to concentrate cobalt, manganese, rare earths and yttrium. In other words, phosphate becomes the geochemical key to a more sensitive issue: that of critical metals.

A resource, but not yet a settled sovereignty

For Morocco, the signal is important. The kingdom is already a global phosphate power on land. Tropic Mount shows that, in its Atlantic environment, phosphate can also be linked to raw materials sought by future industries. But it would be premature to make it an acquired or short-term exploitable Moroccan resource.

The real lock remains maritime. Tropic Mount is located in an area where Morocco and Spain’s interests intersect, near the Canaries and off the Saharan coasts. Work on maritime space delimitation between the two countries recalls that Rabat and Madrid have still not settled all their maritime borders, particularly in the Atlantic.

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This is what gives this study political scope. Each new scientific data strengthens the strategic value of this zone. Tropic Mount is therefore not only a subject for geologists. It is a space where phosphates, critical metals, maritime law and diplomacy meet. Science advances; the decision will depend on Rabat and Madrid.

https://www.geologicalservice.eu/publications/genetic-model-variability-of-deep-sea-phosphorites