Application of micro-XRF technology to rapid and nondestructive detection of inorganic elements in ocean minerals

A great amount of solid minerals, such as ferromanganese nodules, cobalt-bearing crusts and polymetallic hydrothermal sulfides, occur in the deep ocean. The in-situ distribution of the contents of various elements in the minerals are important indicators to their genesis, identification, grade and evaluation of economic value. In this study, three types of mineral samples, including ferromanganese nodules, cobalt-bearing crusts and polymetallic hydrothermal sulfides, were analyzed with micro-XRF technology, and high-resolution, in-situ and non-destructive multi-element mapping analysis was adopted to reveal the difference in spatial distribution of different elements in different types of mineral samples. Through the analysis of test data and the optimization of mapping process, we can compare the correlation and difference in specific element distribution and semi-quantitative content, so as to establish a new method for disclosing the visible deep-sea mineral element distribution psatterns.