Manganese and related elements in the interstitial water of marine sediments.

Analyses for manganese, nickel, iron, cobalt, sodium, and lithium in the interstitial water of cores from the southern California borderland and six deep-sea cores in the area of the East Pacific Rise show great variation in concentration of trace elements. Oxidizing near-shore sediments showed a 50-fold enrichment in manganese in contrast to sulfide-rich reducing sediments, which showed no enrichment. Deep-sea sediments were variable in their concentration of the trace metals. All but one core showed a high enrichment in dissolved manganese, with a maximum of 6.6 parts per million. Two cores showed a 100-fold enrichment in nickel and cobalt. The manganese appears to be in solution either as Mn(2+) or as a complex. The results appear to support manganese nodule formation in deep-sea sediments through a diffusion of manganese from depth to the surface.