In 1972, the R/V Bosei was commissionned by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) to undertake a survey within the framework of the Basic investigations for development of deep sea mineral resources program. Conducted in November-December 1972 the expedition covered the Mariana basin and the Magellan seamounts. Fifteen bottom samples were collected and ferromanganese nodules were obtained at a depth over 5000 meters. Eleven manganese nodules from the the Mariana basin and the Magellan seamounts have been analysed by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ). After drying at 110°C for two or three hours, 0.5 g of the powdered samples were treated by HF and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

From 1983 until 1989 NOAA-NCEI compiled the NOAA-MMS Marine Minerals Geochemical Database from journal articles, technical reports and unpublished sources from other institutions. At the time it was the most extended data compilation on ferromanganese deposits world wide. Initially published in a proprietary format incompatible with present day standards it was jointly decided by AWI and NOAA to transcribe this legacy data into PANGAEA. This transfer is augmented by a careful checking of the original sources when available and the encoding of ancillary information (sample description, method of analysis...) not present in the NOAA-MMS database.