Abstract
This research presents results characterizing the mineral and chemical composition of ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) deposits from Yōmei Guyot (Holes 431 and 431A), recovered during the Deep-Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 55 R/V “Glomar Challenger”. The Fe-Mn deposits are represented by sandy-gravel clasts. The mineral composition and bulk concentration of major and minor elements, as well as the distribution of rare earth elements and yttrium patterns in mineral fractions of Fe-Mn samples, showed that the deposits are composed of fragments of Fe-Mn hydrogenetic crusts and diagenetic nodules. The morphology of Fe-Mn clasts from Holes 431 and 431A DSDP, as well as a comparison with growth conditions of Fe-Mn deposits from N-W Pacific Guyots, allowed us to establish a Late Pliocene age for the formation of this Fe-Mn placer from Yōmei Guyot. Accumulations of ferromanganese clasts in a sedimentary unit led us to classify this geological body as a new mineral resource of the World Ocean.
Highlights
We studied the mineral and chemical composition of the YM-12 and YM-20 samples to determine the reason for differential element accumulation
Ferromanganese deposits recovered from the Deep-Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) 431 and 431A holes are represented mainly by sharp-edged fragments and, more rarely, by slightly rounded fragments (Figures 3 and 4)
We suggest that Tl in the 431A-12 sample has a hydrothermal or hydrothermal/hydrogenous genesis and its accumulation probably occurred in the local suboxic conditions
Summary
Three genetic types of ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) deposits are widely distributed and have been studied in detail in the World Ocean. These are hydrogenetic crusts, hydrogenetic and diagenetic nodules, and hydrothermal deposits, each are distinguished based on the type of aqueous fluid from which the Fe-Mn (oxyhydr)oxides precipitate [1]. Ferromanganese (cobalt-rich) crusts are composed of Fe oxyhydroxide and Mn oxide, which precipitate directly from cold, ambient ocean water onto solid rock substrates. Ferromanganese nodules are composed of Fe oxyhydroxide and Mn oxide and form by hydrogenetic and diagenetic precipitation onto a hard nucleus on the surface of soft sediment A wide variety of metals such as Co, Ti, Mn, Ni, Pt, Zr, Nb, Te, Bi, Mo, W, Th, as well as rare earth elements and yttrium (REY) are sorbed from ocean water onto those two main mineral phases (Fe oxyhydroxide and Mn oxide) [1,2,3].
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