Discovery of extremely REY-rich mud in the western North Pacific Ocean

Koichi Iijima; Kazutaka Yasukawa; Koichiro Fujinaga; Kentaro Nakamura; Shiki Machida; Yutaro Takaya; Junichiro Ohta; Satoru Haraguchi; Yoshiro Nishio; Yoichi Usui; Tatsuo Nozaki; Toshitsugu Yamazaki; Yuji Ichiyama; Akira Ijiri; Fumio Inagaki; Hideaki Machiyama; Katsuhiko Suzuki; Yasuhiro Kato; KR13-02 Cruise Members

doi:10.2343/geochemj.2.0431

Special Issue: Front Edge of Submarine Mineral Resources Research in Japan (Part 2)

Discovery of extremely REY-rich mud in the western North Pacific Ocean

Koichi Iijima, Kazutaka Yasukawa, Koichiro Fujinaga, Kentaro Nakamura, Shiki Machida, Yutaro Takaya, Junichiro Ohta, Satoru Haraguchi, Yoshiro Nishio, Yoichi Usui, Tatsuo Nozaki, Toshitsugu Yamazaki, Yuji Ichiyama, Akira Ijiri, Fumio Inagaki, Hideaki Machiyama, Katsuhiko Suzuki, Yasuhiro Kato, KR13-02 Cruise Members

Author information

Koichi Iijima
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Kazutaka Yasukawa
Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology
Koichiro Fujinaga
Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology
Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Kentaro Nakamura
Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Shiki Machida
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Yutaro Takaya
Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Junichiro Ohta
Department of Solid Earth Geochemistry, JAMSTEC
Satoru Haraguchi
Department of Solid Earth Geochemistry, JAMSTEC
Yoshiro Nishio
Department of Marine Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University
Yoichi Usui
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Tatsuo Nozaki
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Department of Planetology, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University
Toshitsugu Yamazaki
Department of Ocean Floor Geoscience, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo
Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Yuji Ichiyama
Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Chiba University
Akira Ijiri
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, JAMSTEC
Fumio Inagaki
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, JAMSTEC
Hideaki Machiyama
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Katsuhiko Suzuki
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Yasuhiro Kato
Research and Development Center for Submarine Resources, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Ocean Resources Research Center for Next Generation, Chiba Institute of Technology
Frontier Research Center for Energy and Resources, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
KR13-02 Cruise Members

Keywords: extremely REY-rich mud, rare-earth elements, deep-sea mineral resources, Minamitorishima Island, western North Pacific Ocean

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Supplementary material

2016 Volume 50 Issue 6 Pages 557-573

DOI https://doi.org/10.2343/geochemj.2.0431

Details

Abstract

We have discovered deep-sea mud that is extremely enriched in rare-earth elements and yttrium (together called REY) in the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone around Minamitorishima Island, in the western North Pacific Ocean. The maximum total REY concentration reaches approximately 7000 ppm, which is much higher than that reported for conventional REY deposits on land and other known potential REY resources in the ocean. The extremely REY-rich mud is characterized by abundant phillipsite and biogenic calcium phosphate. In addition, the stratigraphic layer with the highest REY concentration occurs just ~3 m beneath the seafloor. The shallow burial of these strata together with the high REY content, especially those of heavy rare-earth elements, suggest that the newly discovered extremely REY-rich mud may be a promising REY resource.

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