The monograph describes the distribution, composition and accumulation rates of recent and ancient metalliferous sediments and their components in the oceans and the Red Sea. The processes influencing the formation of composition of metal-bearing matter of the metalliferous sediments, from hydrothermal effluence to accumulation on the ocean floor, are considered, and known patterns in distribution of chemical element contents in the metalliferous sediments are explained. The influence of various natural factors on the formation of metalliferous strata is shown quantitatively. Metalliferous...