Factors Controlling the Distribution of Transitional Metal Elements in Marine Hydrogenic Ferromanganese Crusts

A series of selective dissolution experiments were conducted on the hydrogenic ferromanganese crusts collected near Line Island to study the geochemistry of Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni and Ti. Despite of the fact that the very close intergrowth between amorphous ferric oxyhydroxides and δ-MnO2 exists in the hydrogenic ferromanganese crusts, there is no isomorphous substitution between iron and manganese. This is because the two elements in oxides have different crystal chemistry and geochemistry, such assertion being in agreement with the results of selective dissolution experiments. Transitional metal elements such as Cu, Co, Ni and Ti are enriched in different phases, i.e. Ni and Co are incorporated into δ-MnO2 while Cu and Ti are incorporated into ferric oxyhydroxides. The distributions of the elements in amorphous ferric oxyhydroxides and δ-MnO2 are controlled by the existing states of the elements in the seawater and the crystal chemistry and geochemistry of these elements/ions in oxides.