• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.231-243
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• 2004

Sequential extraction was carried out on twenty two subsamples of three ferromanganese crusts from three seamounts (Lemkein, Lomilik, and Litakpooki) near the Marshall Islands in the western Pacific. The extraction was designed to fractionate Fe-Mn crust forming elements into low defined groups: (1) exchangeable and carbornate, (2) Mn-oxide, (3) Fe-oxyhyd.oxide, and (4) residual fraction. X-ray diffraction result shows that target material were well removed by each extraction step except for CFA in phosphatized crusts generation. According to chemical analysis of each leachate, most of elements in the Fe-Mn crusts are bound with two major phases. Mn, Ba, Co, Ni, Zn, (Fe, Sr, Cu, and V) are strongly bounded with Mn-oxide $({\delta}-MnO_2)$ phase, whereas Fe, Ti, Zr, Mo, Pb, Al, Cu,(V, P, and Zn) show chemical affinity with Fe-oxyhydroxide phase. This result indicates that significant amount of Al, Ti, and Zr can not be explained by detrital origin. Ca, Mg, K, and Sr mainly occur as exchangeable elements and/or carbonate phase. Outermost layer 1 and inner layer 2 which are both young crusts generations are similar in chemical speciations of elements. However, some of Fe-oxyhydroxide bounded elements (Pb, Y, Mo, Ba, Al, and V) in phosphatized innermost layer 3 are released during phosphatization and incorporated into phosphate (Pb, Y, Mo, and Ba) or Mn-oxide phase (Al and V). Our sequential extraction results reveal that chemical speciations of elements in the hydrogenetic crusts are more or less different from interelemental relationship calculated by statistical method based on bulk chemistry.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.569-580
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• 2013

Co-rich ferromanganese crusts (Fe-Mn crusts) distributed on the seamounts in the western Pacific are potential economic resources for cobalt, nickel, platinum, and other rare metals in the future. Regulations for prospecting and exploration of Fe-Mn crusts in the Area, which enables the process to obtain an exclusive exploration right for blocks of the fixed size, were enacted recently by the International Seabed Authority, which led to public attention on its potential for commercial development. Evaluation and selection of a mining site can be established based on abundance and grade of Fe-Mn crusts in the site as well as topography that should be smooth enough for mining efficiency. Therefore, acquisition of shipboard echo-sounding and acoustic backscatter data are prerequisite to select potential mine sites in addition to visual and sampling operations. Acoustic backscatter data can be used to locate crust-covered areas in a regional scale with the understanding of acoustic properties of crust through its correlation with visual and sampling data. KIOST had collected the topographic and geologic data to assess the resources potential for Fe-Mn crusts in the west Pacific region from 1994 to 2001. However, they could not obtain acoustic backscatter data that is crucial for the selection of prospective mining sites. Therefore, additional exploration surveys are required to carry out side scan sonar mapping combined with seafloor observation and sampling to decide the blocks for application of an exclusive exploration right.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.77-90
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• 1999

Characteristics and variations of chemical compositions in Co-rich crusts occurred in the EEZ of the Republic of Marshall Islands were reviewed. Correlation coefficient analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, and Q-mode factor analysis for 62 samples were done in this study. All data were selected and gathered from the open file report of the cooperative cruise done by United States Geological Survey with Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of Hawaii or Korea Ocean Research Development Institute. The average of crust thickness. Co content, and Ni content of 62 samples from the 21 seamounts were 30mm, 0.58 wt% and 0.40%, respectively. The mineral phases and associated elements assigned by correlation coefficients, cluster analysis and Q-mode factor analysis are following four. 1) CFA: P, Ca, CO2, Y, Sr: 2) Mn-oxide mineral: As, Mn, Co, Na: 3) Al-silicate mineral: Pd,Si, Al, Cu, Fe: 4) PGE-bearing mineral: Rh, Pt, Ir.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2001

Six ferromanganese crusts from the Lomilik and Litatfooki seamounts in the Marshall Islands were analyzed for texture, geochemistry and stratigraphy to delineate the paleoceanographic conditions. The crusts can be divided into three layers; 1) outermost massive layer (Layer 1), 2) middle porous Fe-oxides rich layer infllled with biointemal clasts (Layer 2), and 3) innermost massive layer cemented and/or replaced by carbonate fluoapatite (CFA) (Layer 3). The Layer 1 contains higher Mn, Co, Ni, and Mg than other two layers, and the Layer 2 was relatively more enriched in Fe, Al, Ti, Ba, Cu, and Zn. However, the Layer 3 shows higher Ca and P and lower Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni contents than overlying two layers. Based on the Co-chronometry, the crusts are postulated to have begun to grow from 56-31 Ma (early Eocene to Oligocene). The boundaries between layers 1 and 2, and layers 2 and 3 are dated to be 7-3 Ma and 26-14 Ma, respectively. High contents of Ca and P in Layer 3 clearly indicate that the layer had been phosphatized prior to the formation of Layer 2. Considering the well-preserved mjcrostructures in Layer 3, it is unlike that the crusts themselves were recrystallized in suboxic condition. Also, the lower Co concentrations in Layer 3 may imply that the Co supply was not constant during the formation of Layer 3. Layer 2, characterized by the porous texture, grew over Layer 3 during 26-9 Ma. Internal biogenic sediments including foraminifera within the original cavities and the enrichment of organophillic elements such as Ba, Cu, and Zn, suggest that Layer 2 have below high production regions. Also, high content of allumino silicate components may indicate increased terrigeneous input during the formation of Layer 2. The Layer 2. The Layer 1 has been subjected to little diagenetic influence since the Pliocene.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.110-122
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• 1988

Between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones of the Northeastern Pacific, nodules and crusts were collected from abyssal plain and hills by the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute in December, 1983 aboard the R/V KANA KEOKI of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics. Mineralogical and geochemical data of bulk nodules are obtained and compared with analyses of other studies. Mechanisms of nodule formation are discussed based on these data. Generally, the nodules of the KONOD-1 site are composed of todorokite and ${\delta}-MnO_2$. The contents of Mn, Fe, Ni, and Cu of the bulk nodules are variable and the average contents of metals are slightly lower (Mn, 21.40%; Ni, 0.9%; Cu, 0.8%) than those of nodules from other abyssal plains between the Clarion and Clipperton fracture zones. High Mn/Fe (average 3.9; maximum 5.9) and Cu/Ni (average 0.8; maximum 1.0) ratios are similar to the nodules that were formed diagenetically in the northeast Pacific. The chemical characteristics of the KONOD-1 nodules reflect their sedimentary environments; nodules with higher diagenetic signatures occur in areas of thin Quaternary siliceous ooze, and nodules of lower diagenetic influence occur in topographically irregular abyssal hill areas.