Composition Of Ferromanganese Crusts Research Articles

Origin and Composition of Ferromanganese Deposits of New Caledonia Exclusive Economic Zone

Located in the South-West Pacific, at the northern extremity of the mostly submerged Zealandia continent, the New Caledonian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1,470,000 km² and includes basins, ridges and seamounts where abundant ferromanganese crusts have been observed. Several investigations have been conducted since the 1970s on the nature and composition of ferromanganese crusts from New Caledonia’s seamounts and ridges, but none have covered the entire EEZ. We present data from 104 ferromanganese crusts collected in New Caledonia’s EEZ during twelve oceanographic cruises between 1974 and 2019. Samples were analysed for mineralogy, geochemical compositions, growth rates, and through a statistical approach using correlation coefficients and factor analysis. Crust thicknesses range from 1 mm to 115 mm, with growth rates between 0.45 mm/Ma and 102 mm/Ma. Based on textures, structures, discrimination plots, and growth rates, we distinguish a group of hydrogenetic crusts containing the highest mean contents of Co (0.42 wt%), Ni (0.31 wt%), and high contents of Mo, V, W, Pb, Zn, Nb, from a group of hydrothermal and/or diagenetic deposits showing high mean contents of Mn (38.17 wt%), Ba (0.56 wt%) and low contents of other trace metals. Several samples from this later group have exceptionally high content of Ni (0.7 wt%). The data shows that crusts from the southern part of the EEZ, notably seamounts of the Loyalty Ridge and the Lord Howe Rise, present high mineral potential for prospectivity owing to high contents of valuable metals, and constitute a great target for further investigation.

Transformation of the mineral composition of ferromanganese crusts under the influence of hydrogen sulfide

Experiments devoted to interaction between the material of ferromanganese crusts (FMC) of Pacific seamounts and hydrogen sulfide at temperatures ranging from 100 to 600°C unraveled the formation of pyrite microcrystals at 100°C. Upon heating, the pyrite acquires more perfect crystalline form at 200°C and breaks down at 600°C. The formation and breakdown of magnetite take place according to the same similar scenario. At 200°C, one can see the formation of lumpy aggregates of the slightly crystallized alabandine transformed at 600°C into lamellar crystals, which accumulate the whole Mn and part of Fe hosted in rock. At maximal temperature, platinum and gold are crystallized selectively as lamellar particles and native sulfur is accumulated. The composition of these newly formed minerals is incomparable with the mineralogy of natural FMCs. This is inconsistent with the assumption about the possible influence of hypothetic hydrosulfuric emanations on the formation of minerals mentioned above. However, experimental results demonstrate an extremely high sorption capacity of FMCs relative to hydrogen sulfide, suggesting great prospects of the practical application of FMCs for the industrial and ecological purposes.

The composition of ferromanganese crusts from the Atlantic Ocean

The composition of ferromanganese crusts from the Atlantic Ocean