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Deep-Sea Ferromanganese Nodules and Related Mineral Resources, Volume II
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Deep-Sea Ferromanganese Nodules and Related Mineral Resources, Volume II

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Deposits".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 4017

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shiki Machida

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation (ORCeNG), Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan
Interests: seafloor geology; volcanology; petrology and geochemistry of volcanic rock and mineral resources; high temperature and pressure experiment; solid Earth recycling; exploration of deep-sea mineral resources
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Kentaro Nakamura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyoku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Interests: ore genesis and its relation to Earth\'s surface environment; exploration of deep-sea mineral resources; co-evolution of Earth and life; analysis of geochemical data
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Kazutaka Yasukawa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Interests: seafloor mineral resources; geochemical cycles; climate change; chemical analyses; multivariate analyses; simulations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Deep-sea ferromanganese nodules have long been thought to be a potential metal resource since their first discovery, and the beginning of the humans’ resource exploration in the 19th century. Recently, particular attention has been paid to the nodules as a promising resource for critical metals such as manganese, cobalt, nickel, and cupper that are crucial for developing a variety of high-tech and green-tech technologies and devices. It is now becoming recognized that recent breakthroughs in ocean survey technologies will allow us to exploit deep-sea mineral resources in the near future.

This Special Issue will focus on the latest research developments on ore genesis, exploration, and mining of deep-sea ferromanganese nodules. Thus, we shall gather knowledges from different research fields on their genesis and the geological history, break-through technologies for exploring and mining processes, as well as possible industrial applications. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of these issues, the objects also include other deep-sea mineral resources potentially related to the genesis of the nodules, such as ferromanganese crust or subseafloor sedimentary materials, including mircomanganese nodules and rare-earth-element-rich mud.

Insights related to the following aspects will be included in this Special Issue:

  • New analytical techniques or approaches to reveal genesis and nature;
  • Genetic relationship between ferromanganese nodules and other deep-sea mineral resources;
  • Earth’s surface environmental change and geology behind the genesis of the nodules;
  • Physicochemical processes of critical metal concentration;
  • Chemical or physical extraction method for critical metals;
  • Results of geological investigation on new or known ferromanganese nodule fields;
  • Propose new exploration methods or application and development of the previous methods;
  • Feasibility study and economical evaluation on the new or existing strategic technical flow from exploration to mining and from refining to products.

Dr. Shiki Machida
Dr. Kentaro Nakamura
Dr. Kazutaka Yasukawa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ferromanganese nodules
  • deep-sea mineral resources
  • ore genesis
  • exploration method
  • analytical technique
  • extraction method
  • feasibility study

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7120 KiB  
Article
X-ray Computed Tomography Analysis of Ferromanganese Nodule Nuclei from the Western North Pacific Ocean: Insights into Their Origins
by Daiki Terauchi, Ryo Shimomura, Shiki Machida, Kazutaka Yasukawa, Kentaro Nakamura and Yasuhiro Kato
Minerals 2023, 13(6), 710; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13060710 - 23 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1704
Abstract
Ferromanganese nodule nuclei are considered crucial to the formation and distribution of nodules. However, because it is difficult and time-consuming to study ferromanganese nodule nuclei, few studies have been performed, despite the large number of samples. Here, we analyzed the nuclei of 934 [...] Read more.
Ferromanganese nodule nuclei are considered crucial to the formation and distribution of nodules. However, because it is difficult and time-consuming to study ferromanganese nodule nuclei, few studies have been performed, despite the large number of samples. Here, we analyzed the nuclei of 934 ferromanganese nodules from the abyssal seafloor around Minamitorishima Island (western North Pacific Ocean) using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Based on the CT number distribution (describing X-ray absorption in Hounsfield units, HU), we classified the nuclei as Type I (>1800 HU) or Type II (<1800 HU). Additionally, some Type I nuclei had characteristic conical shapes (Type I-C) distinct from the shapes of other nuclei (Type I-O). Based on the chemical compositions determined by microfocus X-ray fluorescence analyses of selected samples, we identified Type I-C, I-O, and II nuclei as fish teeth, hard rocks (volcanic rock, ironstone, or phosphorite), and sediments, respectively. These nucleus types were observed in sufficient quantities at all dive sites that we conclude them to be typical of nodule nuclei in the study area. Fish-tooth nuclei were the rarest at all sites, whereas sediment nuclei dominated at most sites, suggesting their significance for understanding the origin of ferromanganese nodules. Hard-rock nuclei dominated at only three sites and probably originated from seamounts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deep-Sea Ferromanganese Nodules and Related Mineral Resources, Volume II)
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16 pages, 8068 KiB  
Article
87Sr/86Sr Isotopic Ratio of Ferromanganese Crusts as a Record of Detrital Influx to the Western North Pacific Ocean
by Keishiro Azami, Naoto Hirano, Jun-Ichi Kimura, Qing Chang, Hirochika Sumino, Shiki Machida, Kazutaka Yasukawa and Yasuhiro Kato
Minerals 2022, 12(8), 943; https://doi.org/10.3390/min12080943 - 27 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1869
Abstract
In this study, the Sr isotope ratios (IRs; 87Sr/86Sr) of ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) crusts are analyzed through laser ablation inductively coupled plasma multiple-collector mass spectrometry. A sample collected from off Minamitorishima Island showed uniform Sr IRs (0.70906–0.70927) similar to that of [...] Read more.
In this study, the Sr isotope ratios (IRs; 87Sr/86Sr) of ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) crusts are analyzed through laser ablation inductively coupled plasma multiple-collector mass spectrometry. A sample collected from off Minamitorishima Island showed uniform Sr IRs (0.70906–0.70927) similar to that of present-day seawater with more than 36 mm thickness. Meanwhile, a detritus-rich sample collected from off northeast (NE) Japan showed a wide variation in Sr IRs (0.707761–0.709963). The Sr IR variation in the Fe–Mn crust from off NE Japan suggests detrital influx contributions from both the NE Japan arc (<0.708) and aeolian dust from China (>0.718). Detrital flux from the NE Japan arc increases from the bottom to middle layers, possibly due to the uplift of the Ou backbone range that occurred after ~2 Ma. The increased influx of the aeolian dust in the outer layer is attributable to global cooling in the Quaternary that increased the loess dust transportation from China to the western North Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, the influence of the detrital influx on the sample from off Minamitorishima Island appeared to be negligible. The Sr IR analysis with high spatial resolution proposed in this study possibly improves the burial history of Fe–Mn nodules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Deep-Sea Ferromanganese Nodules and Related Mineral Resources, Volume II)
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