Linkages between the Genesis and Resource Potential of Ferromanganese Deposits in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans

Abstract

In addition to iron and manganese, deep sea ferromanganese deposits, including nodules and crusts, contain significant amounts of economically interesting metals, such as cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), and rare Earth elements and yttrium (REY). Some of these metals are essential in the development of emerging and new-generation green technologies. However, the resource potential of these deposits is variable, and likely related to environmental conditions that prevail as they form. To better assess the environmental controls on the resource potential of ferromanganese deposits, we have undertaken a detailed study of the chemical composition of ferromanganese nodules and one crust sample from different oceanic regions. Textural and chemical characteristics of nodules from the North Atlantic and a crust from the South Pacific suggest that they acquire metals from a hydrogenous source. These deposits are potentially an economically important source of Co and the REY. On the other hand, nodules from the Pacific Ocean represent a marginal resource of these metals, due to their relatively fast growth rate caused by diagenetic precipitation. By contrast, they have relatively high concentrations of Ni and Cu. A nodule from the Arctic Ocean is characterised by the presence of significant quantities of detrital silicate material, which significantly reduces their metal resource.

Arctic Fe-Mn deposits from the Kara Sea: fast-growing refuges for cosmopolitan marine microorganisms under sharp changes of redox conditions

“…Negative Ce anomaly, YSN/HoSN ratio close to 1, intermediate Nd concentrations of approximately 25 ppm suggest strong impact of diagenetic processes on the formation of the studied Fe-Mn nodules and crust. The diagenetic origin of deposits in the other parts of the Kara Sea also was previously reported [37][38][39]43 . The observed depletion of major and trace elements (including REE) in the studied Kara Sea nodules and crust can be explained by their extremely high growth rate (0.4-8 mm/kyr) which results in dilution of authigenic mineral phases by detrital material due to short time of their connection with sediments and pore water 44,45 .…”

“…The diagenetic origin of deposits in the other parts of the Kara Sea also was previously reported [37][38][39]43 . The observed depletion of major and trace elements (including REE) in the studied Kara Sea nodules and crust can be explained by their extremely high growth rate (0.4-8 mm/kyr) which results in dilution of authigenic mineral phases by detrital material due to short time of their connection with sediments and pore water 44,45 . The intercalations observed between the Fe-and Mn-rich layers can occur due to differences in the normal redox potential of these elements and re ect the abrupt changes in their precipitation conditions.…”

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

“…These three genetic processes are usually discriminated by the use of the concentration of Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu and Co of the samples and plotted in a ternary diagram [27][28][29]. Several high resolution studies [1,12,21,23,[30][31][32][33] already proved that Fe-Mn deposits are complex and usually formed by the mix, alternation or local influence of different genetic processes. Similar results were already found in a previous study [21] of selected Fe-Mn crusts from Canary Islands Seamount Province (CISP), which initiated their deposition at least 77 My ago in this region [14,21,34,35].…”

The Significance of Nanomineral Particles during the Growth Process of Polymetallic Nodules in the Western Pacific Ocean

“…With continuous development and utilization, the reserves of terrestrial metal resources are increasingly exhausted. Polymetallic nodules are widely distributed in the shallow layer or surface of sediments in deep-sea sedimentary basins ranging from 4000 to 6500 m in water depth, and they are composed of cores and shells rich in Mn, Ni, Cu, Co and REY metal elements; their reserves can reach tens or even thousands of times to those of terrestrial resources [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. As one of the most important deep-sea mineral resources, the commercial exploitation feasibility of polymetallic nodules has attracted large-scale research, exploration and development worldwide [ 5 ].…”