Cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts from the Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States and nodules from the oceanic Pacific, in: Scholl, D.W., Grantz, A., and Vedder, J. (eds.), Geology and resource potential of the continental margin of western North America and adjacent ocean basins: Circum-Pacific Council for Energy and Mineral Resources, Earth Science Series, Houston Texas.

Chert, Porcellanite, and other silicified rocks formed in response to high heat flow in the lower 50 meters of 275 meters of sediments at Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 504, Costa Rica Rift. Chert and Porcellanite partly or completely replaced upper Miocene chalk and limestone. Silicified rock occurs as nodules, laminae, stringers, and casts of burrows, and consists of quartz and opal-CT in varying amounts, associated with secondary calcite. The secondary silica was derived from dissolution of opal-A (biogenic silica), mostly diatom frustules and radiolarian tests.Temperature data obtained at the site indicate that transformation of opal-A to opal-CT began at about 50°C, and transformation from opal-CT to quartz at about 55°C. Quartz is most abundant close to basement basalts. These silica transformations occurred over the past 1 m.y., and took place so rapidly that there was incomplete ordering of opal-CT before transformation to quartz; opal-CT formed initially with an uncommonly wide d spacing. Quartz shows poor crystallinity.Chemical data show that the extensively silicified rocks consist of over 96% SiO 2 ; in these rocks, minor and trace elements decreased greatly, except for boron, which increased. Low A1 2 O 3 and TiO 2 contents in all studied rocks preclude the presence of significant volcanic or terrigenous detritus. Mn content increases with depth, perhaps reflecting contributions from basalts or hydrothermal solutions. Comparisons with cherts from oceanic plateaus in the central Pacific point to a more purely biogenic host sediment for the Costa Rica Rift cherts, more rapid precipitation of quartz, and formation nearer a spreading center. Despite being closer to continental sources of ash and terrigenous detritus, Costa Rica Rift cherts have lower A1 2 O 3 , Fe 2 O 3 , and Mn concentrations.

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