GEOCHEMISTRY OF CU, CO, NI, TI,AND MG IN DIAGENETIC FERROMANGANESE NODULES

A series of selective dissolution experiments were conducted on the diagenetic ferromanganese nodules from the East Pacific Ocean near the equator to study the geochemistry of Cu, Co, Ni, Ti,and Mg. Enrichments of the elements are controlled by the present states of the elements in the seawater and the compositional minerals of the ferromanganese deposits. The stability of the structure of 10Å-manganates in diagenetic nodules is attributed to the alkali earth element Mg in the structure besides the transitional metal elements Cu, Co and Ni incorporated into the structure that can stabilize the structure of 10Å-manganates.