Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Formation, and Environmental Aspects of Marine Ferromanganese Crusts

Dear Colleagues,

Ferromanganese crusts, along with other submarine minerals, are gaining increasing attention these days as potential future sources of ores, especially those linked to the energy transition and the green economy. These deposits are found in all seas and oceans of the world, and their formation and growth models are a direct consequence of the environment in which they develop. Fe-Mn mineralizations are typically divided into three different types depending on the predominant genetic process throughout their formation—hydrogenetic, diagenetic, and hydrothermal—in addition to all the mixed terms between them. They generally accumulate in the form of crusts, nodules, or strata bound deposits.

These deposits are often the subject of study, both to assess their mineralogy and their contents of various critical elements (Co, V, Mo, Te, Tl, Sb, REYs, and PGEs). Depending on the type of formation process, ferromanganese crusts can vary in terms of their mineralogy and, consequently, their metal contents. We welcome contributions describing exploration techniques for the characterization of the mineralogy and geochemistry of these deposits around the world and their role in the future as possible ore minerals.

This Special Issue invites the submission of contributions on the genesis and formation of ferromanganese crusts and the factors that influence the presence of particular genetic types. We also welcome contributions focused on the use of different high-resolution techniques in ferromanganese crusts, especially those focused on the mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the critical metals that may be concentrated in these deposits. Contributions exploring the various factors and aspects influencing ferromanganese crusts, as well as paleo-oceanographic and geological analyses that can be obtained through the study of these deposits during their growth, are also welcome.

Finally, we welcome all those contributions that will be focused on the environmental protection aspects of marine mining and metallurgical experiments, as well as studies to recover valuable metals and legislation linked to the possible future mining of these deposits as raw critical material ores.

Dr. Egidio Marino
Dr. Natalia Konstantinova
Dr. Francisco J. González
Guest Editors

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• critical elements
• mineralogy and geochemistry
• geochemistry
• paleo-oceanography
• formation processes
• metallurgy