Peculiarities of the distribution of rare-earth elements and yttrium in mineral phases of the ferromanganese crusts from the Detroit guyot (Pacific Ocean)

Abstract

The concentrations of rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) were first determined in four major mineral fractions of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts (CMC) from the Detroit guyot at the northern latitudes of the Pacific Ocean. It was shown that REY in the CMC from these latitudes are mainly adsorbed by the manganese phase unlike the crusts of the equatorial part of the ocean where iron hydroxides are the key REY sorbents from seawater. This is caused by the variations in the hydrochemical characteristics of seawater with the latitude of the CMC formation.