Petrography and stratigraphic Os isotopic ages of ferromanganese nodules from the Northwest Pacific east of Minamitorishima Island

Tatsuo Nozaki; Kosuke T. Goto; Yutaro Takaya; Kazuhiko Shimada; Akira Owada; Gen Shimoda; Jun-Ichi Kimura; Qing Chang; Tetsuji Onoue; Shiki Machida; Teruaki Ishii; Kenji Shimizu; Naoto Hirano; Kazuhide Mimura; Moei Yano; Junichiro Ohta; Yasuhiro Kato

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences: X (Jun 2024)

Petrography and stratigraphic Os isotopic ages of ferromanganese nodules from the Northwest Pacific east of Minamitorishima Island

Tatsuo Nozaki,
Kosuke T. Goto,
Yutaro Takaya,
Kazuhiko Shimada,
Akira Owada,
Gen Shimoda,
Jun-Ichi Kimura,
Qing Chang,
Tetsuji Onoue,
Shiki Machida,
Teruaki Ishii,
Kenji Shimizu,
Naoto Hirano,
Kazuhide Mimura,
Moei Yano,
Junichiro Ohta,
Yasuhiro Kato

Affiliations

Tatsuo Nozaki: Submarine Resources Research Center, Research Institute for Marine Resources Utilization, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan; Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Department of Planetology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 657-8501, Japan; Corresponding author at: Submarine Resources Research Center, Research Institute for Marine Resources Utilization, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan.
Kosuke T. Goto: Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 7, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
Yutaro Takaya: Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan; Submarine Resources Research Center, Research Institute for Marine Resources Utilization, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
Kazuhiko Shimada: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Akira Owada: Nippon Petrographic Thin Section Co., Ltd., 629-4 Aoyado, Ami, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300-0301, Japan
Gen Shimoda: Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 7, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8567, Japan
Jun-Ichi Kimura: Volcanoes and Earth’s Interior Research Center, Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
Qing Chang: Volcanoes and Earth’s Interior Research Center, Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan
Tetsuji Onoue: Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Shiki Machida: Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan
Teruaki Ishii: Center for Integrated Research and Education of Natural Hazards, Shizuoka University, 836 Ohya, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan
Kenji Shimizu: Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Institute for Extra-cutting-edge Science and Technology Avant-garde Research (X-star), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 200 Monobe-otsu, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8502, Japan
Naoto Hirano: Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University, 41 Kawauchi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8576, Japan
Kazuhide Mimura: Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan; Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Moei Yano: Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan; Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
Junichiro Ohta: Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan
Yasuhiro Kato: Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology, 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, Chiba 275-0016, Japan; Submarine Resources Research Center, Research Institute for Marine Resources Utilization, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 11
p. 100176

Abstract

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The area offshore of Minamitorishima Island, Northwestern Pacific Ocean, contains large amounts of seafloor mineral resources such as ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) nodules, Fe–Mn crusts, and rare-earth element and yttrium (REY)-rich muds. In this study, we applied stratigraphic Os isotopic dating to a Fe–Mn nodule for the first time to date its formation/depositional age, and mineralogical and texturally characterized a complementary nodule. Based on macroscopic and microscopic observations, the studied Fe–Mn nodules can be divided into three layers: Layers L2, L1, and L0 from core to rim. Under the microscope, the Fe–Mn nodules are dominated by vernadite and Fe-oxyhydroxide. In particular, Layer L1 is dominated by banded-columnar vernadite and contains lower amounts of clay minerals derived from the detrital component than Layers L2 and L0. The bulk major and trace element geochemical compositions of sampled layers in the Fe–Mn nodules all plotted in the hydrogenous field in several discrimination diagrams. The Os isotopic ages determined by fitting to the paleo-seawater 187Os/188Os curve can be divided into three clusters (35.7–31.0, 19.0–9.0, and 4.0–1.0 Ma, corresponding to Layers L2, L1, and L0, respectively). These Os isotopic ages indicate that two periods of very slow growth or growth hiatuses occurred during the formation of the Fe–Mn nodule; these age gaps are related to the intermittent (discontinuous) timings of the beginning of Fe–Mn nodule formation offshore Minamitorishima Island.

Published in Journal of Asian Earth Sciences: X

ISSN: 2590-0560 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Geology
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-asian-earth-sciences-x

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