Thick ferromanganese deposits from the Dampier Ridge and the Lord Howe Rise off eastern Au

Geoscience Australia Data presents chemical and mineralogical data for four ferromanganese samples from two stations of the West German vessel Sonne. The dataset includes two nodules and two crusts collected from depths between 1549 and 2700 meters off eastern Australia. The data, last updated in May 2026, compares elemental ratios with samples from deeper water stations.

Use Cases

• Analyze the relationship between water depth and metal content based on Mn:Fe ratios and Ni+Cu+Co values.
• Compare hydrogenetic nodule and crust formation based on chemical composition and mineralogy.
• Identify potential areas for economic nodule exploration based on depth and elemental concentration trends.
• Study the substrate variability beneath ferromanganese deposits based on mentioned granite, gabbro, and sandstone.

Strengths

• Includes data from four distinct samples with specified collection depths (1549-2700 m).
• Provides specific chemical metrics, including Mn:Fe ratios ranging from 0.48 to 0.91 and comparisons to deeper water stations.
• Describes physical characteristics of deposits, including thickness up to 20 cm and nodule types.

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 bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on two specific locations.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Samples collected via dredge and core from the West German vessel Sonne.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:36:13.937721; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Dampier Ridge and Lord Howe Rise off eastern Australia.