Continuous growth of hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts since 17 Myr ago on Takuyo-Daigo Seamount, NW Pacific, at water depths of 800-5500 m

Abstract

Ferromanganese crusts cover all outcrops on Takuyo-Daigo seamount traversed during remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) dives, except in places covered by foraminifera sand. Takuyo-Daigo is a Cretaceous seamount located in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Geological and bathymetric mapping provide the framework for this study. Chemical and mineralogical analyses of the hydrogenetic ferromanganese crusts show temporal and spatial variations typical of those found in previous studies. Outcrops from 800 to 5500 m water depths are covered with ferromanganese crusts up to 105 mm thick. Beryllium isotope dating shows that the crusts have apparently been growing continuously at all water depths, even through the modern oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), contrary to some earlier models for deposition. Growth rates vary from 2.3 to 3.5 mm/Myr, with Fe or Mn fluxes of 0.07–0.11 g/cm2/Myr since the early-middle Miocene. Co/Mn ratios decrease with water depth while Fe/Mn and other metallic elements increase or show no change, based on the analysis of the uppermost crust surface. This is probably because Co is the most abundant redox-sensitive element derived from seawater that occurs in crusts.

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