Paleoenvironments Recorded in a New-Type Ferromanganese Crust from the East Philippine Sea

We attempt to recover the paleoenvironments recorded in the accretion of a typical new-type hydrogenetic ferromanganese crust from the deep water areas of the East Philippine Sea. From detailed geochemical and U-series chronological studies, analysis of major and minor elements performed by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), three major accretion periods and corresponding paleoenvironments can be ascertained. The first period is a faster accretion period in the terminal Late Miocene to the Early Pliocene with looser structure and higher volcanic detritus content, corresponding to the active Antarctic bottom waters and depressed temperature from the intermediate Middle Miocene to the Early Pliocene. The second period is a pulse of pelagic clay deposition at the Early to Middle Pliocene, reflecting the shrinkage of the Antarctic bottom waters and the global temperature elevation of this period. The third period is a slower accretion period from the Middle Pliocene, which indicates the more violent activity of Antarctic bottom waters once again and more depressed temperature than the first period, facilitating the accretion of a more compact and pure ferromanganese zone. The paleoceanographic histories of these studied areas had not been made clear in previous research.