Manganese Nodules from the Tasman Sea with Geochemical Composition

Two manganese nodules recovered from a water depth of 4300 meters in the Tasman Sea, southeast of Sydney. The nodules are subspherical, about 10 cm in diameter, and have a high clay content with low Mn:Fe ratio and low Ni, Cu, and Co percentages. The data is provided by Geoscience Australia and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze the geochemical composition of deep-sea manganese nodules based on the provided Ni, Cu, and Co percentages.
• Study the morphology and formation environment of nodules based on their described subspherical shape, size, and association with calcareous mud.
• Model the distribution of marine mineral resources based on the specific location and depth data.
• Compare the Mn:Fe ratio and clay content of these nodules with samples from other oceanic regions.

Strengths

• Provides specific geochemical data including Ni (0.25%), Cu (0.17%), and Co (0.06%) content.
• Includes precise location and depth information (155° 35E, 36° 15S, 4300 m).
• Describes physical characteristics such as nodule shape (subspherical) and diameter (~10 cm).

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is based on only two recovered nodules, representing a very small sample size.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Recovered by HMAS Kimbla from a northeast-trending trough.

Time Range

Recovery date unknown; metadata last updated March 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 16:26:56.281726; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Tasman Sea, about 250 nautical miles southeast of Sydney (155° 35E, 36° 15S).