Deep-Sea Sediments and Manganese Nodules from the Southern Tasman Sea, 1979

Two manganese nodules with low metal content were recovered from a depth of 4300 m near Gascoyne Seamount during a 1979 geological cruise. Five stations were occupied, with sediment or pumice recovered from four and nothing from the fifth. The data suggests nodules with higher metal values likely exist in a deeper depression southeast of the seamount.

Use Cases

• Analyze metal composition of manganese nodules based on reported Ni, Cu, and Co percentages.
• Map sediment distribution based on the described recovery of reddish brown clay, grey calcareous mud, and pumice.
• Study the relationship between nodule formation and environmental factors like depth and the carbonate compensation depth.
• Plan future sampling campaigns based on the hypothesis that richer nodule fields exist in specific deep-sea depressions.

Strengths

• Provides specific geochemical data for two nodules, including Ni (0.25%), Cu (0.17%), and Co (0.06%) content.
• Includes precise spatial context with five station locations, depths up to 5100 m, and a named seamount.
• Contains environmental context such as the carbonate compensation depth of about 4500 m.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single 1979 cruise.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Recovered via free-fall grabs during a geological cruise on HMAS Kimble.

Time Range

May 1979

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 00:53:08.100117; freshness should be verified

Geography

Southern Tasman Sea, near Gascoyne Seamount (250 nautical miles SE of Sydney).