High-Resolution Analysis of Critical Minerals and Elements in Fe–Mn Crusts from the Canary Island Seamount Province (Atlantic Ocean)

Marino, Egidio; González, Francisco Javier; Lunar, Rosario; Reyes, Jesús; Medialdea, Teresa; Castillo-Carrión, Mercedes; Bellido, Eva; Somoza, Luı́s

doi:10.3390/min8070285

Cited by 46 publications

(39 citation statements)

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“…Marine Fe-Mn deposits are usually classified in three mineralization types depending on the predominant genetic process acting during their growth: hydrogenetic, hydrothermal and diagenetic forming commonly crusts, nodules or stratabounds. Mn-oxides in hydrogenetic crusts are essentially Fe-vernadite and birnessite; on the other hand, diagenetic and hydrothermal deposits show the presence of todorokite, asbolane and buserite [1,[19][20][21][22]. Hydrogenetic crusts are enriched in several critical elements like Co, Ni, Te, V, Mo, REYs and Pt (respectively up to 6600, 4500, 60, 850, 500, 2500 µg/g and 560 ng/g) compared with continental crust [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogenetic, Diagenetic and Hydrothermal Processes Forming Ferromanganese Crusts in the Canary Island Seamounts and Their Influence in the Metal Recovery Rate with Hydrometallurgical Methods

et al. 2019

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Four pure hydrogenetic, mixed hydrogenetic-diagenetic and hydrogenetic-hydrothermal Fe-Mn Crusts from the Canary Islands Seamount Province have been studied by Micro X-Ray Diffraction, Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy together with high resolution Electron Probe Micro Analyzer and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry in order to find the correlation of mineralogy and geochemistry with the three genetic processes and their influence in the metal recovery rate using an hydrometallurgical method. The main mineralogy and geochemistry affect the contents of the different critical metals, diagenetic influenced crusts show high Ni and Cu (up to 6 and 2 wt. %, respectively) (and less Co and REY) enriched in very bright laminae. Hydrogenetic crusts on the contrary show High Co and REY (up to 1 and 0.5 wt. %) with also high contents of Ni, Mo and V (average 2500, 600 and 1300 μg/g). Finally, the hydrothermal microlayers from crust 107-11H show their enrichment in Fe (up to 50 wt. %) and depletion in almost all the critical elements. One hydrometallurgical method has been used in Canary Islands Seamount Province crusts in order to quantify the recovery rate of valuable elements in all the studied crusts except the 107-11H, whose hydrothermal critical metals’ poor lamina were too thin to separate from the whole crust. Digestion treatment with hydrochloric acid and ethanol show a high recovery rate for Mn (between 75% and 81%) with respect to Fe (49% to 58%). The total recovery rate on valuable elements (Co, Ni, Cu, V, Mo and rare earth elements plus yttrium (REY)) for the studied crusts range between 67 and 92% with the best results for Co, Ni and V (up to 80%). The genetic process and the associated mineralogy seem to influence the recovery rate. Mixed diagenetic/hydrogenetic crust show the lower recovery rate for Mn (75%) and Ni (52.5%) both enriched in diagenetic minerals (respectively up to 40 wt. % and up to 6 wt. %). On the other hand, the presence of high contents of undigested Fe minerals (i.e., Mn-feroxyhyte) in hydrogenetic crusts give back low recovery rate for Co (63%) and Mo (42%). Finally, REY as by-product elements, are enriched in the hydrometallurgical solution with a recovery rate of 70–90% for all the studied crusts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrogenetic, Diagenetic and Hydrothermal Processes Forming Ferromanganese Crusts in the Canary Island Seamounts and Their Influence in the Metal Recovery Rate with Hydrometallurgical Methods

et al. 2019

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“…K-Ar and Ar-Ar dating of volcanic rocks from Tropic Seamount suggest it was active from 119 Ma until 114 Ma, although some smaller, late-stage eruptive activity may have persisted until 60 Ma [22], since which time the volcano has subsided with the summit now at a depth of around 1100 m. While the absolute oldest possible age for FeMn crust precipitation is the age of the volcano, FeMn crust growth is thought to have been occurring for at least the last 12 Ma on sediment-free slopes and areas of the summit and 76 Ma elsewhere [23][24][25]. More recently, Marino et al [26] identified crusts as old as 99 Ma from near the summit of Tropic Seamount. Samples collected from Tropic Seamount during cruise SO83 in 1992 reported uniform crustal growth of between 4 and 10 cm for the past 12 Ma (3.3-8.3 mm/Ma) [23] and fairly consistent element distributions, suggesting steady and constant elemental fluxes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the Mineral Resource Potential of Atlantic Ferromanganese Crusts Based on Their Growth History, Microstructure, and Texture

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The decarbonisation of our energy supply is reliant on new technologies that are raw material intensive and will require a significant increase in the production of metals to sustain them. Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts are seafloor precipitates, enriched in metals such as cobalt and tellurium, both of which have a predicted future demand above current production rates. In this study, we investigate the texture and composition of FeMn crusts on Tropic Seamount, a typical Atlantic guyot off the coast of western Africa, as a basis for assessing the future mineral resource potential of Atlantic Seamounts. The majority of the summit is flat and covered by FeMn crusts with average thicknesses of 3-4 cm. The crusts are characterized by two dominant textures consisting of either massive pillared growth or more chaotic, cuspate sections of FeMn oxides, with an increased proportion of detrital and organic material. The Fe, Mn, and Co contents in the FeMn oxide layers are not affected by texture. However, detrital material and bioclasts can form about 50% of cuspate areas, and the dilution effect of this entrained material considerably reduces the Fe, Mn, and Co concentrations if the bulk samples are analyzed. Whilst Tropic Seamount meets many of the prerequisites for a crust mining area, the thickness of the crusts and their average metal composition means extraction is unlikely to be viable in the near future. The ability to exploit more difficult terrains or multiple, closely spaced edifices would make economic feasibility more likely.

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“…(3) Fe-chlorites depleted with metals; traces of alteration; (4) small lamellae of asbolane (~µm) with Ni + Cu + (Zn) content >4%; (5) mixed group of vernadite and asbolane, slightly depleted with metals; (6) asbolane with Ni + Cu + (Zn) content >5% and increased Mg content; (7) bright laminae of Mn-rich asbolane slightly depleted with metals and Mg; (8) asbolane depleted with metals (~2%); (9) crushed grain of non-identified Fe-Si-Ti rich mineral; (d) small aggregate-core (1) of Ni-(Cu) asbolane with amount of Ni + Cu + Zn (~4%) and increased Mg content; asbolane (2,3) showing metal depletion down to 2.5%; asbolane (4) with high content of Ni + Cu + Zn (4.5%) and Mg, depleted with alkali metals; sequence of asbolane laminae (5)(6)(7)(8) showing increase of ∑(Ni, Cu, Zn) content (>5%); zeolite (heulandite-clinoptilolite) layer (9) depleted with metals, Sr, Ba and Ca; being part of crushed-like alteration zone; Ni-Cu asbolane sequence (10)(11)(12) showing increase of metals content up to 5.2%; another sequence of Ni-Cu asbolane (13,14) showing increased metal content; (15) mixed laminae of vernadite and asbolane; higher content of Ti + Co (~1.7%) in vernadite.…”

Section: Epmamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Co-rich ferromanganese crusts formation and mineral composition have been the subject of several scientific works [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Recent discoveries from previously unstudied locations, mainly due to increase of marine research, provide new data on crusts chemistry, mineralogy, formation conditions and economic importance [9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mineralogy of Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts from the Perth Abyssal Plain (E Indian Ocean)

et al. 2019

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Mineralogy of phosphatized and zeolitized hydrogenous cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts from Dirck Hartog Ridge (DHR), the Perth Abyssal Plain (PAP), formed on an altered basaltic substrate, is described. Detail studies of crusts were conducted using optical transmitted light microscopy, X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA). The major Fe-Mn mineral phases that form DHR crusts are low-crystalline vernadite, asbolane and a feroxyhyte-ferrihydrite mixture. Accessory minerals are Ca-hydroxyapatite, zeolites (Na-phillipsite, chabazite, heulandite-clinoptilolite), glauconite and several clay minerals (Fe-smectite, nontronite, celadonite) are identified in the basalt-crust border zone. The highest Ni, Cu and Co contents are observed in asbolane and Mn-(Fe) vernadite. There is significant enrichment of Ti in feroxyhyte−ferrihydrite and vernadite. The highest rare earth element (REE) content is measured in the phosphate minerals, less in phyllosilicates and Na-phillipsite. The geochemical composition of minerals in the DHR crusts supports the formation of crusts by initial alteration, phosphatization and zeolitization of the substrate basalts followed by oscillatory Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides precipitation of hydrogenous vernadite (oxic conditions) and diagenous asbolane (suboxic conditions).Minerals 2019, 9, 84 2 of 33 hydrothermal fluids), the two major types of ferromanganese crusts are distinguished: (I) hydrogenetic cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts; (II) hydrothermal crusts and encrustations (sometimes called stratabound manganese oxides) [15][16][17][18]. Hydrothermal crusts that precipitate directly from low temperature hydrothermal fluids (few tens of degrees up to 200 • C), usually grow significantly faster, even up to 1600-1800 mm/Ma [19]. Ferromanganese crusts in some locations form through a combination of fluid sources and thereby exhibit a mixed origin, primarily either hydrogenetic, diagenetic or hydrothermal-hydrogenetic [15,18,20,21].Co-rich ferromanganese crusts formation is dominated by hydrogenetic processes. The precipitation from bottom waters is extremely slow, with growth rates of 1-5 mm/Ma. The thickest crusts occur in the depth interval between 800-2500 m and show the highest concentrations of critical metals [22]. Some authors limit this depth to the anoxic zone at approximate depths of 1000-1500 m. Below these depths, the thickness of crusts decrease [23][24][25].On the youngest rock outcrops, crusts form mainly patina-thin layers. Most crust surfaces are either botryoidal, smooth or rough, that form under conditions of strong bottom currents. In the thick crusts, 2 to 8 visible or macroscopic layers may be distinguished. The internal layers are usually black and massive, while outer parts are slightly lighter, laminated and more porous [13]. However, crusts with four major layers of oxide layers have been found. The outer-and innermost are massive and show light colors, whereas the...

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High-Resolution Analysis of Critical Minerals and Elements in Fe–Mn Crusts from the Canary Island Seamount Province (Atlantic Ocean)

Cited by 46 publications

References 97 publications

Hydrogenetic, Diagenetic and Hydrothermal Processes Forming Ferromanganese Crusts in the Canary Island Seamounts and Their Influence in the Metal Recovery Rate with Hydrometallurgical Methods

Hydrogenetic, Diagenetic and Hydrothermal Processes Forming Ferromanganese Crusts in the Canary Island Seamounts and Their Influence in the Metal Recovery Rate with Hydrometallurgical Methods

Assessment of the Mineral Resource Potential of Atlantic Ferromanganese Crusts Based on Their Growth History, Microstructure, and Texture

Mineralogy of Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts from the Perth Abyssal Plain (E Indian Ocean)

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