Manganiferous Sediments, Rocks, and Ores

Manganese is of great interest in geochemistry because its minerals are both tracers of redox processes and accumulators of other elements of geochemical significance. The solubility of manganese compared to iron under reducing and mildly oxidizing conditions leads to its export from low-oxygen environments, be they basalt-hydrothermal systems or euxinic sedimentary basins, and its accumulation in oxidizing environments of the shallow ocean or in low-productivity areas of the deep sea. Therefore tracking Mn/Fe ratios provides us a means of reconstructing the oxidation structure of ocean basins, soils, or groundwater systems.