Manganese nodules in the South Pacific: A review

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Abstract
A series of seven charts which show the distribution and metal contents of manganese nodules and the distribution of metal-rich sediments in the South Pacific has been published. Manganese nodules are shown to occur mainly in the following regions: In an elongate belt approximately 1000 km wide beneath the Antarctic Circumpolar Current; the Southwestern Pacific Basin; the Peru Basin; the Chile Basin; the basin north of Tahiti; and the mountain region bounded by the Cook Islands and Tuamotu Islands. Mn-Cu-Ni-rich nodules are shown to occur dominantly in ocean basins and Fe-Co-rich nodules in elevated regions. Metalliferous sediments occur dominantly along the crest of the East Pacific Rise where nodules are largely absent. The distribution patterns suggest that the formation of manganese nodules and metalliferous sediments is mutually exclusive. A cruise of the R.V. Tangaroa has revealed a belt of nodules showing almost complete coverage of the sea floor south-west of the Cook Islands. Future surveys for economic concentrations of manganese nodules in the South Pacific should be restricted to the deep ocean basins.