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The mineralogy and major element geochemistry of ferromanganese crusts and nodules from the northeastern equatorial Pacific Ocean

University of British Columbia

A study of the mineralogy and major element geochemistry of ferromanganese crusts and nodules from the northeastern equatorial Pacific Ocean involved three inter-related projects: ft) the major element geochemistry of crusts and nodules from two study areas, (2) the development of a selective sequential extraction scheme (SSES) and a differential X-ray diffraction technique (DXRD) for the study of the mineralogy of the deposits, and (3) the application of the SSES and DXRD to a small population of crusts and nodules from the two study areas. The objectives of the first project were to relate the composition of the crust and nodule samples to the environment of formation as well as to the mineralogy which could be identified from a bulk powdered sample. The SSES was developed to determine the partitioning of Cu, Ni, and Co concentrations between the Mn and Fe oxides present in crusts and nodules. In developing a SSES, two goals had to be attained: (1) since crust and nodule samples are finite in size and numerous different analyses are to be preformed on a single sample, a SSES should be developed which uses as small amount of sample as feasible, and (2) develop a SSES which is as time efficient as possible. The development of the DXRD in conjuction with the SSES identified which Mn and Fe oxide mineral phase was responsible for hosting Cu, Ni, and Co. In developing the DXRD procedure two other goals had to be attained: (1) use of small leached samples, and (2) recovery of the sample aafter XRD analysis. The purpose of the third project was to test the two analytical procedures on a group of crust and nodule samples which have a wide range in compositions and oxide phase mineralogies. One group of hydrothermal nodules, from Survey Region B, was found to be enriched in Mn and depleted in Fe and Si. The Mn-rich mineral phases were identified as todorokite and birnessite. The second group of hydrothermal nodules, from Survey Region B, was found to be enriched in Fe and Si and depleted in Mn. The Fe-Si rich mineral phase was identified as iron-rich nontronite. Both groups of hydrothermal nodules were depleted in Co, Cu, and Ni. Dymond et al. (1984) and Chen & Owen (1989) identified one group of hydrothermal nodules located close to the East Pacific Rise (EPR) as being enriched in Fe but depleted in Mn, Cu, Ni, and Co. This composition agrees with the Fe-Si rich hydrothermal nodules identified in Survey Region B. Both Dymond et al. (1984) and Chen & Owen (1989), however, interpreted a second group of nodules, close to the EPR, which were enriched in Mn but depleted in Cu, Ni, and Co as suboxic diagenetic deposits. This group of nodules is the Mn-rich end-member composition of hydrothermal nodules identifed in this study. The composition of nodules from Survey Region B indicates there is a correlation between Co abundance and the proximity of the nodules to the hydrothermal discharge from the JEPR. Nodules that are Co-enriched are found farthest away from hydrothermal activity. In contrast, cobalt-depleted nodules coincide with known areas of hydrothermal activity. The SSES and DXRD was applied to a small population of crusts and nodules from the two Survey Regions. The DXRD patterns from the second stage of leaching on the crusts and nodules showed that the iron phase mineralogy in marine crusts and nodules is either akaganeite or ferrihydrite. The DXRD patterns from the second stage of leaching on the Mn-rich hydrothermal crusts and nodules, from Survey Region B, identified the Mn-bearing mineral hausmannite.

Text

2010-12-16

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30427

Oceanography

University of British Columbia

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