Mineralogy of suspended matter from surface and bottom waters has been studied at two sites in the Barents Sea. Along with terrigenous minerals, particulate matter samples contain authigenic mineral phases of iron and manganese oxyhydroxides. Mn-feroxyhite, Fe-vernadite, goethite, and proto-ferrihydrite have been identified in samples from the surface waters, whereas birnessite and non-ferruginous vernadite have been found in samples from the bottom waters. Formation of suspended manganese minerals in the bottom waters is explained by an additional Mn supply from underlying reduced sediments during their early diagenesis and oxygen depletion in the near-bottom nepheloid layer. Bacteria are supposed to take part in the authigenic mineral formation.

Supplement to: Murdmaa, Ivar O; Bogdanova, Olga Yu; Gorshkov, Anatoly I; Novikov, Georgy V; Shevchenko, Vladimir P (2000): Particulate minerals of iron and manganese in the Barents Sea. Lithology and Mineral Resources (in English version pp. 594-597), 35(6), 665-669