Three-Dimensional Structural Analysis of Ferromanganese Nodules from the Western North Pacific Ocean Using X-ray Computed Tomography

Abstract

The three-dimensional layered growth structure of 934 ferromanganese nodule samples collected from dives in the Pacific Ocean around Minamitorishima Island was assessed using X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) to elucidate their growth history. The thickness of the layered structure measured in three orthogonal directions showed that the ferromanganese nodules grew equally in all directions regardless of shape and size. Based on differences in CT numbers, a layered structure was subdivided into sublayers I, II, III, and IV, which corresponded to petrological features. The nodules were then classified as Types I, II, III, and IV according to whether they had sublayers I, I and II, I–III, or I–IV, respectively. Correlations between the total thickness of the layers and the number of sublayers indicated that both represented the relative age of the nodules. Nodules with all these types were recovered from most of the sampling sites, and histograms of the total layer thickness at each dive site showed several peaks. These findings indicated that the initiation of nodule growth was intermittent, rather than simultaneous. Three distinct thickness peaks were found at many sites throughout the study area, suggesting that at least three nodule initiation events covering hundreds of kilometers initiated the growth of ferromanganese nodules.