Sources of gallium in ferromanganese crusts from the Sea of Japan

Abstract Possible sources of gallium in hydrothermal-sedimentary ferromanganese crusts of the Belyaevsky Seamount (Central Basin, Sea of Japan) are considered. Studies with successive selective leaching have shown that ~ 80% of Ga are present in the manganese fraction. The Changbaishan Volcano ash with up to 35.3 ppm Ga has been found in the marine sediment column located in the immediate vicinity of the Belyaevsky Seamount. This suggests that Ga of the Fe–Mn crusts of the seamount was supplied with the ash of volcanic rocks containing up to 300 ppm Ga.