The Geochemistry of Manganese and Manganese Nodules in the Ocean

ISBN-13: 9789401081672 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 356 str.

G. N. Baturin

Opis

Manganese nodules were first discovered on the ocean floor 160 miles south-west of the Canary Islands on February 18, 1803, during the first complex oceano logical cruise of the Challenger. They surprised researchers by their unusual shape and also by their unusual chemical composition; nevertheless for many years after wards, they were considered merely as one of Nature's exotic marine tricks. After the Secpnd World War, a comprehensive investigation of the World Ocean started, and new data were obtained on a wide distribution of manganese nodules and their polymetallic composition, that made scientists consider nodules as one of the major characteristics of the deep oceanic zone. Recently, meaning since the 1960's, nodules have been recognized as a potential ore source, investigation of which is stimulated by the progressive depletion of land-based mineral resources. Several generations of scientists from various countries have contributed to the problem of exploration of manganese nodules on the ocean floor. Though the problem has been posed, it has not been solved yet because it required, in its turn, a scrutiny of some fundamental aspects such as composition, nature, accretion r'ate of nodules and retrieval of nodule fields. These problems have been discussed in thousands of papers and larger publications; see, in particulare, Mero, 1965; Horn, 1972; Morgenstein, 1973; Bezrukov, 1976; Glasby, 1977; Bischoff and Piper, 1979; Lalou, 1979; Manganese nodules, 1979; Varentsov, 1980; Cronan, 1980; Manganese nodules . . ., 1984, 1986."

Spis treści

I. Marine Geochemistry of Dispersed Manganese.- I. Manganese Supply to the Ocean.- Manganese in River Discharge.- Manganese in the Atmosphere.- Cosmogenic Manganese.- Volcanogenic and Hydrothermal Manganese.- II. Magnanese in Sea Water and Suspension.- Dissolved Manganese.- Suspended Manganese.- III. Manganese In Sea Organisms.- Phytoplankton.- Zooplankton.- Forms of Manganese Occurrence.- Macrophetes.- Coelenterata.- Molluscs.- Benthic Crustacea.- Echinodermata.- Fishes.- Sea Mammals.- Sea Birds.- IV. Manganese Deposition from Oceanic Waters.- Chemical Deposition.- Coagulation.- Sorption.- Biogenic deposition.- V. Manganese in Marine and Oceanic Sediments.- Concentration and Distribution of Manganese in the Upper Sedimentary Layer.- Manganese Content and Distribution in Subsurface Sediments.- Forms of Manganese Occurrence in Sediments.- VI. Manganese in Pore Water of Marine and Oceanic Sediments.- Inland Basins.- Peripheral Zones of the Ocean.- Pelagic Zones of the Ocean.- Metalliferous Sediments.- General Review of the Data Presented.- II. Geochemistry of Manganese Nodules.- VII. Manganese Nodules: Distribution and Structure.- Distribution of Nodules.- Morphology of Nodules.- Internal Structure of Nodules.- Mineralogy of Nodules.- VIII. Major Ore Elements of Manganese Nodules.- Concentration and Distribution of Metals in Nodules from Various Areas of the World Ocean.- Composition of Manganese Nodules and Oceanic Bottom Environment.- Compositional Variability of Individual Nodules and Relations Between Metals.- Forms of Metals in Nodules and Relations Between in the Composition of Nodules and Sediments.- IX. Major Lithic Elements in Nodules.- Concentration of Lithic Elements in Nodules.- Distribution of Lithic Elements in Nodules.- Forms of Lithic Elements in Nodules.- X. Microelements in Manganese Nodules.- Rare Alkaline Elements.- Rare Metals of the Second Group of Periodic Table.- Rare Metals of the Third Group of Periodic Table.- Rare Metals of the Fourth Group of Periodic Table.- Rare Metals of the Fifth Group of Periodic Table.- Rare Elements of the Sixth Group of Periodic Table.- Radioactive Metals.- Noble Metals and Rhenium.- Halogens.- Rare Metalloids.- Gases.- Average Contents and Concentration Coefficients of Elements in Nodules.- XI. Age and Accretion Rates of Manganese Nodules.- Brief Historical Note and Methods.- Accretion Rates of Nodules.- Reliability of Nodule Dating.- XII. Problems of Origin of Manganese Nodules.- Source of Ore Matter and Manganese Balance in the Ocean.- Direct Sources of Material Supply to Nodules.- Why Do Manganese Nodules Rest on the Sediment Surface?.- Biogenic Aspects in Manganese Nodule Genesis.- Genesis of Sulphide Minerals and Native Metals in Manganese Nodules.- Conclusions.- References.