Seamounts effect on deep-sea biology The researchers, including Leitner, Jennifer Durden from NOC and UH Mānoa professors Jeffrey Drazen and Craig Smith, made the observation on an expedition to the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ). The CCZ is a large region stretching nearly from Hawaiʻi to Mexico, which is being explored for deep-sea mining of nodules containing metals such as copper, cobalt, zinc and manganese.