Cape Leeuwin Manganese Nodule Deposit Samples from the Indian Ocean

About 2000 ferromanganese nodules were recovered from the Indian Ocean seafloor southwest of Cape Leeuwin during a 1976 research cruise. The deposit, discovered in 1970, is reported to cover approximately 900,000 km². This dataset from Geoscience Australia documents the preliminary study of this deposit, including sampling and photographic evidence.

Use Cases

• Analyze the distribution and extent of seafloor manganese nodules based on the reported 900,000 km² coverage.
• Study the influence of bottom currents on nodule formation based on described ripple marks and disconformities.
• Investigate the chemistry and mineralogy of ferromanganese nodules based on the sampling effort described.
• Model sedimentation rates in deep-sea environments based on evidence of low rates allowing nodule development.

Strengths

• Focuses on a specific, large-scale mineral deposit reported to cover 900,000 km².
• Based on physical samples from a dedicated research cruise, providing tangible data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Positioning was by celestial navigation with potential errors up to 10 km, affecting spatial accuracy.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Sampling via dredge during a 10-day research cruise on HMAS Diamantina in 1976.

Time Range

1970s (discovery in 1970, sampling cruise in 1976).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 00:51:19.240161; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Indian Ocean southwest of Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia.