Manganese and Molybdenum in Phosphorites from the Ocean

The behavior of molybdenum and manganese is studied in phosphorite samples from shelves, seamounts, and islands of the ocean. In shelf phosphorites, molybdenum and manganese contents are 2–128 and 12–1915 ppm, respectively, while the Mo/Mn ratio ranges from 0.004 to 4.5. Phosphorites from oceanic seamounts impregnated with ferromanganese oxyhydroxides contain 0.84–14.5 ppm of Mo and 0.1–17% of Mn. The Mo/Mn ratio ranges within 0.0008–0.004. Phosphate-bearing ferromanganese crusts overlying the seamount phosphorites contain 54–798 ppm of Mo and 10–20% of Mn; Mo/Mn ratio varies within 0.002–0.005. Corresponding values for most island phosphorites are 0.44–11.2 ppm, 27–287 ppm, and 0.008–0.20, respectively. Phosphorites from reduced environments are characterized by a relative enrichment in Mo and depletion in Mn, whereas the Mo/Mn ratio reaches maximum values. The ratio decreases with transition to suboxic and oxic conditions. Molybdenum content in recent shelf sediments is commonly higher than that in authigenic phosphorites from these sediments. Recent phosphorite nodules from the Namibian shelf become depleted in Mo and Mn during their lithification, but Pliocene–Pleistocene nodules of similar composition and origin from the same region are enriched in Mo and characterized by a variable Mn content. The higher Mo content in phosphate-bearing ferromanganese crusts is a result of coprecipitation of Mo and Mn from seawater. Nonweathered phosphorites on continents and phosphorites from oceanic shelves are largely enriched in Mo with the Mo/Mn ratio ranging from 0.01 to 1.0. This is an evidence of their formation in reducing conditions.