Chemical analyses of manganese nodule samples from the Atlantis Cruise 266 by the Kennecott Corporation (1966)

Kennecott Copper Corporation became interested in manganese nodules in part based on the publications of Dr. John Mero and work being done at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the 1960s. Through their subsidiary Bear Creek Mining, Kennecott's first exploration campaign dates back as early as 1962, when 10 tons of nodules were dredged from a site west of Baja California. For the next few years, the group relied on technical associations with oceanographic research campaigns. This in particular the case of the Atlantis Cruise 266, June-July 1961 held by the Woods-Hole Oceanographic Institution over the Blake Plateau area. Samples were analysed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.