The moisture content and the minor element contents were determined for 115 sediment samples collected from the G H 80-1 survey traverses of the Central Pacific Wake-Tahiti Transect. The minor elements determined were Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb. The data for evaluating the distribution of these components in the ocean floor of the Central Pacific Basin and its northern and southern vicinities were obtained. These sediment samples comprises 24 surface sediment samples and 91 segments from core samples ranging in depth to several meters below the sea bottom. Principal characteristics of the concentration and horizontal distribution of each component in the gross sediment samples are described in this chapter, as well as the relations among the elements. The selected samples were ground under the size of 150 mesh. Moisture content (H2O-) was determined by drying for 3 hours at 110°C. After dissolution of the salts by an acid solution the minor elements (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu. Zn, and Pb) were determined by the atomic absorption spectroscopy.

From 1983 until 1989 NOAA-NCEI compiled the NOAA-MMS Marine Minerals Geochemical Database from journal articles, technical reports and unpublished sources from other institutions. At the time it was the most extended data compilation on ferromanganese deposits world wide. Initially published in a proprietary format incompatible with present day standards it was jointly decided by AWI and NOAA to transcribe this legacy data into PANGAEA. This transfer is augmented by a careful checking of the original sources when available and the encoding of ancillary information (sample description, method of analysis...) not present in the NOAA-MMS database.This dataset represents the digitized Appendix XV-1, pp. 318-337, of the related publication.