Manganese and Related Elements in the Interstitial Water of Marine Sediments

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Abstract
Analyses for manganese, nickel, iron, cobalt, sodium, and lithium in the interstitial water of cores from the southern California borderland and six deep-sea cores in the area of the East Pacific Rise show great variation in concentration of trace elements. Oxidizing near-shore sediments showed a 50-fold enrichment in manganese in contrast to sulfide-rich reducing sediments, which showed no enrichment. Deep-sea sediments were variable in their concentration of the trace metals. All but one core showed a high enrichment in dissolved manganese, with a maximum of 6.6 parts per million. Two cores showed a 100-fold enrichment in nickel and cobalt. The manganese appears to be in solution either as Mn2+ or as a complex. The results appear to support manganese nodule formation in deep-sea sediments through a diffusion of manganese from depth to the surface.