Manganese ore deposits and plate tectonics

Abstract

IT is now generally accepted that the oceanic crust and overlying pelagic sediments are enriched in several metals, including copper and manganese1–3. The theory of plate tectonics has demonstrated that the oceanic lithosphere is likely to be remobilised or emplaced along convergent continental margins through magmatic or tectonic activity. The plate tectonic model has been used to explain the metallogenesis of copper4–8, and these concepts have been extended to manganese mineralisation along orogenic belts9,10. We demonstrate that plate consumption along subduction zones gives rise to at least three processes which may be associated with production of manganese deposits.