Controls on Critical Metal Enrichments in Ferromanganese Nodules from the Philippine Sea, at Water Depths of 4400–6000 m

Abstract

Enrichments of critical metals in ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) nodules have received increasing attention in both deep-sea research and mineral exploration. To better assess the controls on the resource potential of Fe–Mn nodules, we conducted a comprehensive and detailed study of twelve nodules from the Philippine Sea collected from water depths of 4400 to 6000 m by investigating their microstructures, bulk geochemistry, and in situ Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide geochemistry, using XRF, ICP-MS, EMPA, and LA-ICP-MS coupled with BSE images. We successfully resolved different controls on the element enrichments, of which significant selective enrichment of metal elements in seawater is similar to that of typical hydrogenetic nodules. An enhanced supply of iron hydroxide due to calcite dissolution resulted in a dilution effect on Co, Ni, and Mn but an enrichment effect on rare earth elements plus yttrium (REE + Y) and Fe in nodules near topographic highs close to the carbonate compensation depth. While the supply of diagenetic Mn resulted in a dilution on Co and REE + Y, it resulted in enrichment on Ni, Cu, Li, and Mn on nodules on the seafloor. Moreover, via micro-layer analyses we confirmed the growth rate is a major determinant for the correlations of Co and REE with Fe-oxyhydroxides in these Philippine Sea nodules.