Abstract

Variations in mercury contents in marine sediments have implications for hydrothermal activity, paleoclimate, depositional environments, and primary bioproduction. Mercury contents reach 148 ppb in hydrogenic ferromanganese crusts on flat-topped seamounts. Such crusts, with up to 4120 ppb Hg, were dredged from the slopes of Seth Guyot in the western Marcus-Wake Seamounts in 1982, during the 13th cruise of RV Vulkanolog. The Seth Fe-Mn crusts are of the same origin as hydrogenic Co-rich ferromanganese deposits from seamounts in other oceanic regions. Mercury accumulated in the Cenozoic as Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides in the crusts adsorbed Hg from bottom water. The process was especially rapid during the Pliocene volcano-tectonic rejuvenated stage.

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