Abstract
The Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is a wide oceanic elevation located ~1200 km to the east of Brazil and 2000 km to the west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The RGR is of strategic importance for Brazil, because in 2015 the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the Brazilian Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais (CPRM) signed a contract for the exploration of seafloor minerals in the region. I…