Annotated record of the detailed examination of an Mn deposit uncovered at US Coast Guard Station NOVEMBER in the Pacific Ocean

An extremely large manganese encrusted rock (allegedly called, manganese nodule) inadvertently retrieved by the USGC PONTCHARTRAIN (WHEC-70) during a deep Nansen cast on Ocean Station NOVEMBER in 3749 meters of water in September 1967. This specimen, weighing approximately 240 Kg., was entangled in the oceanographic cable which was accidentally laid on the bottom. Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography subsequently identified the rock as probably the largest manganese nodule ever found. At that time, the term "manganese nodule" was still used to describe any deepsea recovery of a manganese surfaced object as in the case of the famous "Horizon" nodule (NTHL-10 at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.854965) which revealed to be a large slab of altered volcanics (clayey palagonite) covered with a thick manganese crust.