Linkages between sediment thickness, geomorphology and Mn nodule occurrence: New evidence from AUV geophysical mapping in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

The relationship between polymetallic nodules (Mn nodules) and deep-sea stratigraphy is relatively poorly studied and the role of sediment thickness in determining nodule occurrence is an active field of research. This study utilizes geophysical observations from three types of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) data (multi-beam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiles and underwater photography) in order to assess this relationship. Multi-beam bathymetry was processed with a pattern recognition approach for producing objective geomorphometric classes of the seafloor for examining their relation to sediment thickness and nodule occurrence. Sub-bottom profiles were used for extracting sediment thickness along a dense network of tracklines. Close-range AUV-photography data was used for automated counting of polymetallic nodules and their geometric features and it served as ground truth data. It was observed that higher nodule occurrence were related to layers with increased sediment thickness. This evidence reveals the role of local seafloor heterogeneity in nodule formation and suggests that unique patterns of local stratigraphy may affect geochemical processes that promote polymetallic nodule development at local scales.