Desert varnish of pristine sandstone and petroglyph surfaces from Takabart Kabort (Naturalistic Bubaline Art School) and Alamas (Tanzina Art School) can be well classified by their (SiO2+Al2O3):MnO2, Al2O3:SiO2, and P2O5:CaO ratios. Specific ratios are due to the occurrence of clay minerals like illite, kaolinite, smectite, and feldspar, quartz, carbonates like calcite and dolomite, manganese oxyhydroxides, and apatite. Their occurrence corresponds to the local origin and composition of the primary aeolian material.
In general, the analyzed desert varnish shows lamination patterns characterized by alternating MnO2-rich and -poor layers (25 wt% MnO2) at rather constant iron oxyhydroxide content (6 wt% Fe2O3). Varnish on non-engraved surfaces exhibits three MnO2-rich layers, whereas varnish-coated petroglyphs reveal minor lamination patterns corresponding to the dating of petroglyphs by rock art. The older Naturalistic Bubaline Art School petroglyphs (about 6–4 ka BP) and the younger Tazina Art School petroglyphs (about 3.8–3 ka BP) contain only two and one MnO2-rich layer, respectively. It is assumed that the occurrence of such microlaminations is caused by climate changes in North Africa. Three humid periods are discerned from the Terminal Pleistocene to Holocene in the literature. Such periods are suitable to induce manganese accumulation by biotic and abiotic processes. Accordingly, the distinct lamination patterns gained from this study verify the dating of petroglyphs by rock art. From another point of view, classification of the above petroglyphs may be provided by analyses of microlaminations independently on cultural historical aspects. 相似文献
The rare earth element (REE) distribution in nine deep-sea ferromanganese nodules and their associated siliceous sediments from the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) have been studied to elucidate the REE relationship among them. Total REE concentration varies from 398-928 ppm in the nodules and 137-235 ppm in the associated sediments, suggesting two- to four-fold enrichment in the nodules compared to associated sediments. REE of nodules and their associated sediments show a positive correlation, suggesting REE are supplied from a common source such as seawater. The positive correlation between REE of nodules and sediments from the CIOB is contrary to the competitive scavenging of REE between nodules and sediment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. REEs in the nodules are carried by Fe, P, and Ti, whereas in the sediment they are carried by P and Mn phases. A similar REE fractionation pattern with middle REE enrichment over heavy and light REE in both the nodules and their associated sediment suggest fractionation is independent of REE abundance and their carrier phases. 相似文献
Grain size and water content in box-core sediments from the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone (C-C zone) in the northeast equatorial Pacific were analyzed in detail to understand the downcore variations across a hiatus between Quaternary and Tertiary layers. Grain-size distributions in the topmost core sediments show two modes: a coarse mode (peaked at 50 μm) and a fine mode (at 2-25 μm). The coarse mode disappears gradually with depth accompanied by the dissolution of siliceous fossil tests, whereas the fine mode coarsens due to the formation of authigenic minerals. Water content increases abruptly across a color boundary between an upper pale brown layer and a lower dark brown layer that is the hiatus between Quaternary and Tertiary layers. Abundant smectites and microvoid molds, which are created by the prolonged fossil dissolution in the underlying sediment, are attributed for the abrupt downcore variation of water content. Overall variations in grain size and water content in the topmost core sediments in the western C-C zone are possibly constrained by the dissolution of biogenic siliceous fossils. Variations in geotechnical properties related to these changes must be considered in the design of nodule collectors. 相似文献
Fluxes of dissolved forms of iron and manganese across the sediment–water interface were studied in situ in the Gulf of Finland and the Vistula Lagoon (Baltic Sea), and in the Golubaya Bay (Black Sea) from 2001 to 2005. Fluxes were measured using chamber incubations, and sediment cores were collected and sliced to assess the porewater and solid phase metal distribution at different depths. Measured and calculated benthic fluxes of manganese and iron were directed out of sediment for all sites and were found to vary between 70–4450 and 5–1000 µmole m− 2 day− 1 for manganese and iron, respectively. The behavior of the studied metals at various redox conditions in the near-bottom water and in the sediment was the main focus in this study. Our results show the importance of bottom water redox conditions for iron fluxes. We measured no fluxes at oxic conditions, intermediate fluxes at anoxic conditions (up to 200 μmole m− 2 day− 1) and high fluxes at suboxic conditions (up to 1000 μmole m− 2 day− 1). Total dissolved iron fluxes were generally dominated by iron(II). Contribution of iron(III) to the total iron flux did not exceed 20%. Obtained fluxes of manganese at all studied regions showed a linear correlation (r2 = 0.97) to its concentration in the porewater of the top sediment layer (0–5 mm) and did not depend on dissolved oxygen concentrations of bottom water. Organically complexed iron and manganese were in most cases not involved in the benthic exchange processes. 相似文献
Vast reserves of marine minerals are known to occur within the Mexican Exclusive Economic Zone. These reserves include: (1) heavy mineral placers rich in titanium and iron along the coast of San Antonio del Mar, Baja California and the southern States of Oaxaca and Guerrero; (2) phosphorites, which represent the only source for superphosphate fertilizers along the Pacific coast off the Baja California peninsula and the Gulf of Tehuantepec; and (3) manganese oxide deposits in nodule and crusts located adjacent to the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and containing high concentrations of Cu + Ni + Co (up to 1.9%), which are essential for the steel and super-alloy industries. Few but important efforts toward surveying these deposits have been carried out by Mexican and international researchers. Relevant data generated by these investigations are reviewed here and put together in a single document. Adequate knowledge of Mexican mineral resources is essential for the development of management strategies when offshore mining starts during this century. Thus, the review discusses the economics inherent to ocean mining in Mexico, setting baselines for future exploration and development activities in the Mexican Exclusive Economic Zone. 相似文献
New and published data on the distribution and speciation of manganese and iron in seawater are analyzed to identify and parameterize major biogeochemical processes of their cycling within the suboxic (15.6σt16.2) and anoxic layers (σt16.2) of the Black Sea. A steady-state transport-reaction model is applied to reveal layering and parameterize kinetics of redox and dissolution/precipitation processes. Previously published data on speciation of these elements in seawater are used to specify the nature of the transformations. Two particulate species of iron (Fe(III) hydroxide and Fe(II) sulfide) are necessary to adequately parameterize the vertical profile of suspended iron, while three particulate species (hydrous Mn(IV) oxide, Mn(II) sulfide, and Mn(II) carbonate) are necessary to describe the profile of suspended manganese. In addition to such processes as mixing and advection, precipitation, sinking, and dissolution of manganese carbonate are found to be essential in maintaining the observed vertical distribution of dissolved Mn(II). These results are used to interpret the observed difference in the form of vertical distribution for dissolved Mn(II) and Fe(II). Redox transformations of iron and manganese are coupled via oxidation of dissolved iron by sinking suspended manganese at σt16.2±0.2 kg m−3. The particulate manganese, necessary for this reaction, is supplied through oxidation of dissolved Mn(II). The best agreement with observations is achieved when nitrate, rather than oxygen, is set to oxidize dissolved Mn(II) in the lower part of the suboxic layer (15.90σt16.2). The results support the idea that, after sulfides of these metals are formed, they sink with particulate organic matter. The sinking rates of the particles and specific rates of individual redox and dissolved-particulate transformations have been estimated by fitting the vertical profile of the net rate. 相似文献
The first attempt to exploit deep-sea manganese nodules ended in failure as a result of the collapse of world metal prices, the onerous provisions imposed by the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the overoptimistic assumptions about the viability of nodule mining. Attention then focused on Co-rich manganese crusts from seamounts. Since the mid-1980s, a number of new players have committed themselves to long-term programs to establish the viability of mining deep-sea manganese nodules. These programs require heavy subsidy by the host governments. Au-rich submarine hydrothermal deposits located at convergent plate margins are now emerging as a more promising prospect for mining than deep-sea manganese deposits. 相似文献
The Vani manganese deposit is located in the rugged NW sector of Milos Island. It occurs within the Vani volcano-sedimentary basin, which is underlain by dacitic domes and flows of Upper Pliocene age (3.5–2.0 Ma). The end of the emplacement of the dacites was marked by the collapse of the magma chamber, which resulted in a huge pyroclastic episode and the deposition of a thick layer of pyroclastic material within a shallow submarine basin. This pyroclastic material subsequently compacted to form the volcaniclastic sandstone, which became the host for the manganese ore beds which were about 4 m thick in the two sections studied. Hydrothermal fluids penetrated these sandstone horizons via fractures and fissures to produce the manganese deposit. The permeable nature of the sandstone facilitated the retention of the hydrothermal fluids within these layers. This permitted the fluids to cool slowly and deposit the manganese oxides almost quantitatively. Formation of the hydrothermal manganese deposit took place fairly rapidly over a period of several tens of thousands of years at most. Strong tectonic activity resulted in rapid uplift of the area which elevated the deposit above sea level.Two generations of manganese oxides have been identified within this deposit; the first generation consists of pyrolusite and ramsdellite; the second generation of oxides of the isostructural series cryptomelane–hollandite–coronadite plus hydrohetaerolite characterized by high contents of K, Ba, Pb and Zn, respectively. This sequence is the result of a two-stage process of formation of the manganese-oxide minerals in which a second high-salinity hydrothermal fluid enriched in Ba, Pb and Zn as a result of the dissolution of sulphide minerals remineralized the original manganese-oxide assemblage. It is this two-stage process of formation, which was mainly responsible for the unique characteristics of this deposit. Although formed in a submarine setting, the deposit shows marked differences in mineralogy and composition from known submarine hydrothermal manganese deposits and is most analogous to the epithermal vein deposits of the southwestern United States. 相似文献