Of the 26 samples collected during VA-05/1 cruise of R V Valdivia during 1972, 19 were nodules of different forms, 4 ferromanganese crusts and 3 cylindral nodules. Nodules and crusts were air dried and pulverised. In case of cylindrical-types and crust material, the clayey-calcareous filling and core materials were removed. The powder was dried at 110°C for 24 hr. Samples were digested in an autoclave 'BOMB' with a mixture of HF-HCl-HNO3. Determinations were carried out on a PE atomic absorption spectrophotometer.

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1989 NOAA-NCEI compiled the NOAA-MMS Marine Minerals Geochemical Database from journal articles, technical reports and unpublished sources from other institutions.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 Table 1, pp. 237, of the related publication.