Tropic Seamount: Rare Minerals Fuel Morocco-Spain Tensions

At nearly one thousand meters below the surface, southwest of the Canary Islands, Tropic Seamount stands as a major geological enclave. This extinct volcano is part of the «Las Abuelas de Canarias» chain, a formation more than 100 million years old that is now attracting scientific and political attention because of the minerals it contains.

On Bladi.net : Mount Tropic: an underwater treasure that fuels tensions between Morocco and Spain

Interest in this site centers on its ferromanganese crusts, exceptionally rich in tellurium, cobalt and rare earths. Tellurium has become a key metal in the manufacture of highly efficient solar panels and digital technologies, potentially placing Tropic among the world’s most important reserves of this limited resource.

The location of this mountain, situated beyond 200 nautical miles from the exclusive economic zone, creates a crossroads of competing interests. Spain, Morocco and the European Union are closely monitoring this area of the Atlantic, where territorial sovereignty and energy independence concerns now converge.

Geopolitics and mining challenges surrounding Tropic Seamount

Madrid argues that Tropic Seamount constitutes the natural extension of the Canary Islands’ continental shelf. An application to extend maritime jurisdiction to 350 miles was submitted to the United Nations as early as 2014, but no final decision has yet been issued by the competent international commission.

For its part, Morocco has undertaken to redefine its own maritime boundaries through legislation in order to strengthen its presence in the eastern Atlantic. This move, perceived as an attempt to gain influence over areas rich in underwater resources, has generated persistent diplomatic friction over the definition of maritime borders.

On Bladi.net : A submarine "treasure" opposes Morocco to Madrid for control of the batteries of the future

Despite its immense potential value, exploiting the site remains technically unfeasible for now. With its summits at 1,000 meters and its base more than 3,000 meters deep, Tropic Seamount remains an «inaccessible treasure» whose large-scale intervention would pose irreversible risks to deep-sea ecosystems.