Geology of parts of the central and eastern Clarion Clipperton Zone

The Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) hosts the most valuable deposit of polymetallic nodules yet discovered. International Seabed Authority exploration contractors, such as Tonga Offshore Mining Limited, Nauru Ocean Resources Incorporated and Marawa Research and Exploration Limited, routinely conduct ship-based 12 kHz multibeam echosounder surveys over all or parts of their exploration contract areas. This is often supported by physical seabed samples, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profile sonar and seabed photographs. Geological maps for seven discrete mapped areas are presented. Basaltic abyssal plains of mid-Eocene to early Miocene age are overlain by 75–100 m of mid-Eocene and younger deep-sea chalks of the Marquesas Oceanic Formation. In turn, the chalk is overlain by up to 27 m of early Miocene to present, often mobile, siliceous clay-ooze sediment of the Clipperton Oceanic Formation. This stratigraphy is crosscut by a very wide variety of mostly volcanic magmatic rock units.

克拉里昂-克利珀顿区（Clarion Clipperton Zone, CCZ）拥有迄今已发现的价值最高的多金属结核（polymetallic nodules）矿床。国际海底管理局（International Seabed Authority）的勘探承包商，诸如汤加近海矿业有限公司（Tonga Offshore Mining Limited）、瑙鲁海洋资源公司（Nauru Ocean Resources Incorporated）以及马拉瓦研究与勘探有限公司（Marawa Research and Exploration Limited），通常会在其全部或部分勘探合同区内开展船载12千赫多波束测深声呐（12 kHz multibeam echosounder）调查。此类作业往往辅以海底物理采样、侧扫声呐（side-scan sonar）、浅地层剖面声呐（sub-bottom profile sonar）及海底摄影等技术手段。本次数据集提供了7个独立制图区域的地质图件。始新世中期至中新世早期的玄武质深海平原之上，覆有厚度75至100米的始新世中期及更晚时期形成的马克萨斯大洋组（Marquesas Oceanic Formation）深海白垩沉积物。该白垩层之上，又覆盖着厚度可达27米、形成于中新世早期至今的克利珀顿大洋组（Clipperton Oceanic Formation）硅质黏土软泥沉积物，此类沉积物通常具有流动性。该地层序列被种类繁多、以火山岩浆岩单元为主的岩体穿插切割。