Chapter 2 Ferromagnesian and Metalliferous Pelagic Clay Minerals in Oceanic Sediments

Abstract

Publisher Summary Mineralogical changes during sedimentation originated from the interaction of sedimentary particles or particulates with the water column in relation to the movements concerning deposition and transportation. The various environments of the sedimentation in which diagenetic changes occur include non-marine, nearshorecoastal, offshore to open-sea marine, and deep-sea. The types of sediments and sedimentation are differentiated or characterized for each type of depositional environment, although several problems are involved in the characterization. The pelagic sediments can be generally considered as metalliferous, owing to occasional enrichments of manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and other economically important heavy metals. The chapter illustrates examples of the Fe–Mg correlation for the shallow-water marine sediments and compared with the Fe–Mg relationship in the pelagic deep-sea sediments. The most probable mineral phase, which may account for the correlation between Fe and Mg, can be interpreted to be ferromagnesian clay minerals, among which smectite is the most probable one.