Precious and nonferrous metals in the ferromanganese crusts of the central Sea of Okhotsk

Thin mineral grains of nonferrous and precious metals (Ag, Au, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sn, Zn, Sb, Ti, W, Mo, and Ce) were revealed for the first time by SEM and microprobe studies of polished sections of iron-manganese crusts from the Sea of Okhotsk. The metals form native and intermetallic compounds; less frequently they form mineral oxides or sulfides. The conclusion was drawn that the main part of the native minerals represents a mechanical admixture in the ferromanganese crusts.     

Verification of short- and medium-range precipitation forecasts from the ensemble modeling system of the hydrometcenter of Russia

Precipitation forecasts from short- and medium-range ensemble prediction system of the Hydrometeorological Research Center of the Russian Federation (Hydrometcenter of Russia) are verified. The verification system includes probabilistic and deterministic scores. The precipitation forecast quality is analyzed for different seasons and large-scale circulation types. Further development of ensemble modeling and verification at the Hydrometcenter of Russia is discussed.     

Occurrence forms and distribution of precious and base metals in ferromanganese crusts from the Sea of Japan

The examination of polished sections of ferromanganese crusts from the Sea of Japan revealed abundant inclusions of small grains of base and precious metals: Ag, Pd, Pt, Au, Rh, Cu, Zn, Sn, P, Ni, Cr, Ti, Sb, As, W, and Mo. The metals occur in the form of native elements or intermetallic compounds, subordinate sulfides, sulfates, oxides, tungstates, and phosphides. The data on contents, occurrence forms, and distribution of these metals in the ore crusts from this region are discussed.     

Noble metals in ferromanganese crusts from marginal seas of the Northwest Pacific

Based on data on the concentration of noble metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Os, Ir, and Ru) in bulk samples of ferromanganese crusts, the presence of inclusions of micro- and nanosized grains of Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt, often with impurities of other elements, as well as their chaotic distribution, three sources of incorporation of these metals into ore crusts of Far Eastern seas are suggested: seawater, postvolcanic gas–hydrothermal fluids, and hydrothermal plumes. The presence of grains of platinoids and gold in ferromanganese crusts on only some mounts may result from peculiarities in the formation of volcanic rocks on the ancient continental basement.     

Barite Nodules in the Japan Sea

Although barite nodules are extremely rare in the World Ocean, they are rather widespread in the Japan Sea. They were first discovered by Japanese scientists in the Honshu Island borderland (Okada et al., 1971; Sakai, 1971). They were later reported from the North Yamato Rise (Lipkina and Tsoi, 1980) and Okushiri Ridge (Astakhova et al., 1990) (Fig. 1, Table 1). All barite nodules in the Japan Sea are confined to Miocene marine sediments.