Abstract
SEM-EDS analysis of cobalt-rich Fe–Mn crusts (CRFMC) and their substrate rocks from the Gummy Bear seamount in the northwestern Pacific Ocean and the Magellan seamounts (Ilyicheva and Vulcanologist guyots) in the subequatorial Pacific Ocean revealed the presence of accessory (0.6–40 μm) two- and three-component minerals of the Ag–Au–Cu system, which is indicative of a wider distribution of authigenic gold mineralization than one would expect for such deposits. A concept for the biogeochemical genesis of these natural alloys was proposed, including the processes of biosorption, bioaccumulation, and biotransformation of metal ions by microbial cells to their metallic nano- and microforms.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to L.M. Pavlova for a discussion of the issues of biomineragenesis and to V.A. Rashidov for the kindly provided KMK sample from the Vulcanologist seamount. Stone material from the Gummi Bear Seamount was dredged during the expedition of the research vessel Sonne So249 under the Bering project, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Funding
This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 18-17-00015.
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Translated by M.S. Nickolsky
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Ivanov, V.V., Khanchuk, A.I. & Mikhailik, P.E. Nature of Native Gold in Ferromanganese Crusts on the Seafloor of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. Dokl. Earth Sc. 497, 223–226 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X2103003X
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1028334X2103003X