The first part of the book (142 pages divided into five chapters) provides a description of the procedures involved in the study of manganese nodules. Chapter I1 gives an extensive account of sample preparation, mounting and photography. The problems of optical identification of phases present, caused by a small grain sue and the occurrence of amorphous material, are hishlighted as well as the X-ray work on miaosamples and macroprobe work used to overcome them.
The range of morphologies and variations on the basically concentric internal structure of manganese nodules are described and illustrated in Chapter 111. The exterior shape of the nodules is related to differences in the seafloor sediment.
Chapter IV is devoted to the crystalline Mn oxides (especially birnessite, todorokite and delta Mn02) in manganese nodules. The use of X-ray diffraction analysis is described and the difficulties in interpreting the resultant powder photographs discussed. Chemical variations in individual nodules were determined using macroprobe analysis (Chapter V) and are related to optical observations using well-illustrated examples.
The second part of the book (580 pages) is a description with a full page plate of 285 manganese nodules in the Washington State University collection.