First investigations of massive ferromanganese crusts in the NE Atlantic in comparison with hydrogenetic Pacific occurrences

Ferromanganese crusts comparable with central Pacific occurrences with respect to thickness and extension have been discovered at the Tropic Seamount in the subtropical NE Atlantic. A comparison with typical hydrogenetic crusts from a central Pacific seamount revealed lower concentration of the Mn phase with Mn, Co, Ni, Zn, and Cu but a strongly increased terrigenous input of Fe, Pb, Al and Si in the Atlantic crusts. Growth rates are increased compared with the Pacific crusts, and crust ages average at 10 My. The old phosphatized crust generation that started to grow about 20 My ago on the Pacific seamounts is not pronounced at the Tropic Seamount. The typical hydrographic and morphological parameters for hydrogenetic crust growth have also been found at the Tropic Seamount, which implies that the Tropic Seamount crusts have developed according to the hydrogenetic growth model. There are no indications of hydrothermal influence.