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Accumulation and Enrichment of Platinum Group Elements in Hydrogenous Fe–Mn Crust and Nodules from The Andaman Sea, India


Affiliations
1 Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-I, Southern Region, Mangalore 575 001, India
2 Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-II, Southern Region, Cochin 682 037, India
3 Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata 700 091, India, India
4 Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata 700 091, India
 

Present study explores the processes influencing the concentration, mechanism of incorporation and sources of Platinum Group of Elements (PGE) in hydrogenous ferromanganese crusts and nodules (hereafter crusts and nodules) from the West Sewell Ridge and Sewell Rise in the Andaman Sea. ΣPGE content is lower in nodules (633 ppb) as compared to crusts (average = 1284 ppb) due to the diagenetic influence. The chondrite-normalized PGE patterns of crusts and nodules demonstrate consistent Platinum (Pt) enrichment and Palladium (Pd) depletion. We suggest that Pt, Iridium (Ir), and Ruthenium (Ru) are scavenged from seawater by sorption and oxidation on δ-MnO2 surfaces of suspended ferromanganese oxyhydroxides. However, non-correlation of Pd with other trace elements revealed its nonaccumulation in crusts and nodules. Different PGE ratios reveled that Ir and Pd originated largely from a cosmogenic source and Ru, Rh, and Pt were probably sourced from ophiolites in the Andaman Accretionary Prism.

Keywords

Accumulation and Enrichment, Crusts, Hydrogenous Ferromanganese Deposits, Nodules, Platinum Group Elements.
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  • Accumulation and Enrichment of Platinum Group Elements in Hydrogenous Fe–Mn Crust and Nodules from The Andaman Sea, India

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Authors

Saju Varghese
Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-I, Southern Region, Mangalore 575 001, India
Rajani P. Ramesh
Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-I, Southern Region, Mangalore 575 001, India
Rachna Pillai
Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-I, Southern Region, Mangalore 575 001, India
Sethu Rose Joseph
Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-II, Southern Region, Cochin 682 037, India
B. Gopakumar
Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-I, Southern Region, Mangalore 575 001, India
Resmi Sathikumar
Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata 700 091, India, India
Rajesh Kumar Joshi
Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata 700 091, India
Priyanka Dey Guha
Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata 700 091, India
R. V. Manoj
Geological Survey of India, Op: WC-I, Southern Region, Mangalore 575 001, India
M. Nagasundaram
Geological Survey of India, Eastern Region, Kolkata 700 091, India

Abstract


Present study explores the processes influencing the concentration, mechanism of incorporation and sources of Platinum Group of Elements (PGE) in hydrogenous ferromanganese crusts and nodules (hereafter crusts and nodules) from the West Sewell Ridge and Sewell Rise in the Andaman Sea. ΣPGE content is lower in nodules (633 ppb) as compared to crusts (average = 1284 ppb) due to the diagenetic influence. The chondrite-normalized PGE patterns of crusts and nodules demonstrate consistent Platinum (Pt) enrichment and Palladium (Pd) depletion. We suggest that Pt, Iridium (Ir), and Ruthenium (Ru) are scavenged from seawater by sorption and oxidation on δ-MnO2 surfaces of suspended ferromanganese oxyhydroxides. However, non-correlation of Pd with other trace elements revealed its nonaccumulation in crusts and nodules. Different PGE ratios reveled that Ir and Pd originated largely from a cosmogenic source and Ru, Rh, and Pt were probably sourced from ophiolites in the Andaman Accretionary Prism.

Keywords


Accumulation and Enrichment, Crusts, Hydrogenous Ferromanganese Deposits, Nodules, Platinum Group Elements.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv120%2Fi11%2F1740-1748