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Comparative Characteristics of Fe-Mn Crusts from the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans

  • MARINE GEOLOGY
  • Published:
Oceanology Aims and scope

Abstract

Ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts in the ocean accumulate significant amounts of strategically important elements necessary for the development of high technologies. The recent study of Fe-Mn crusts shows that they noticeably vary in different oceans, and the purpose of this work is to compare the composition of Fe-Mn crusts from the Arctic and Atlantic oceans to reveal their similar features and differences and to associate them with a specific sedimentation environment. The chemical and mineral composition of Fe-Mn crusts from Knipovich Ridge located in the Arctic Ocean and from Brazil Basin in the Atlantic Ocean have been studied. Published data were used to increase the reliability of the conclusions. The Arctic Ocean crusts show specific characteristics such as low content of manganese, cobalt, and cerium and a high content of detrital material (Al), lithium, arsenic, thallium, and thorium. Previous data on high vanadium content are not confirmed. Low manganese content and the Mn/Fe ratio in the Arctic Ocean crusts negatively correlate with the accumulation of ice-rafted detrital material (Al is used as an indicator). This relationship indicates that the main difference of the Arctic Ocean crusts in comparison to the Atlantic Ocean crusts is associated with the fact that rocks supplied with ice are not equilibrated with seawater and contain Fe2+. The latter reduces manganese from MnO2 during the halmyrolysis, lowering the Mn/Fe ratio in the crusts.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Russian Scientific Foundation, project no. 18-17-00015 (sampling, chemical and mineralogical analysis, and interpretation of data), and by state assignment no. 0128-2021-0004 (supply of chemical agents and devices for the research).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    A. V. Dubinin, E. V. Kuznetsov, M. N. Rimskaya-Korsakova, E. D. Berezhnaya & O. M. Dara

  2. Far East Geological Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia

    A. A. Veldemar

  3. Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia

    V. A. Rashidov

  4. Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    S. G. Skolotnev

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  1. A. V. Dubinin
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  2. E. V. Kuznetsov
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  4. E. D. Berezhnaya
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  8. S. G. Skolotnev
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Correspondence to A. V. Dubinin.

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Translated by I. Bel’chenko

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Dubinin, A.V., Kuznetsov, E.V., Rimskaya-Korsakova, M.N. et al. Comparative Characteristics of Fe-Mn Crusts from the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. Oceanology 62, 231–246 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437022020059

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001437022020059

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