Observation of manganese deposits in the Nicoya ophiolite complex of Costa Rica

In Costa Rica the manganese deposits are an integral part of the Nicoya ophiolite complex. They contain both primary mineralization and, due to weathering, small residual concentrations. The most common manganese minerals in surface outcrops are psilomelane and pyrolusite. Most of them exist in jasper bodies often in a form of breccia in contact with underlaying basalt. In some instances stratiform manganese-oxide crusts and nodule deposits cap jasper bodies and stratabound deposits being overlain by radiolarites.