Geochemistry of manganese deposits in relation to environment on the sea floor around southern Africa

Manganese deposits from the Madagascar Basin, the Crozet Basin and the basins west of the Madagascar Ridge around southern Africa differ chemically from one another. This appears to be largely because of differences in the degree of oxygenation of the environment; most highly oxidizing is the Madagascar Basin, where the $\text{Mn}\text{Fe}$ ratio is very low and where the manganese deposits probably consist largely of “birnessite”.Continental-margin samples differ from basin samples in having higher $\text{Mn}\text{Fe}$ ratios, probably because of diagenetic remobilization processes within the sediment column. The ratios of Mn and Fe to certain metals ($\text{Mn}\text{Ni}$, $\text{Mn}\text{Zn}$, $\text{Fe}\text{Co}$ and $\text{Fe}\text{As}$) are the opposites of those found in other continental-margin environments, suggesting either a difference in the diagenetic process, or an additional metal source, off southern Africa. Both seawater and bottom sediments of the southern African margin are metal-enriched, and could act as sources of metals for growing manganese nodules and encrustations.