Scientists discover about 5,000 new species in planned mining zone of Pacific Ocean

Researchers discovered about 5,000 entirely new species in a massive, mineral-rich swath of the Pacific Ocean poised to be mined by companies in the future. 

Scientists found 5,578 different species in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a region spanning about 3,100 miles in the area between Hawaii and Mexico, according to a study published Thursday in the scientific journal Current Biology. Around 88-92% of the species had never been seen before. 

The zone, which receives little sunlight and has low-food availability, is also home to potato-sized polymetallic nodules, which are a potential mineral resource for copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese and other rare earth elements.