Multielement analysis of continental and lacustrine ferromanganese nodules by WDXRF, TXRF, and ICP-MS methods....

Specific elemental and mineral composition of lacustrine and continental nodules differ substantially from silicate sedimentary rock, oceanic nodules, and crusts. The examination of this rock type requires study of the applicability of analytical methods to get accurate data on the elemental composition due to the lack of matrix-matched certified reference materials. In this study, multielement analysis of continental and lacustrine ferromanganese nodules was performed using various analytical methods. Samples were prepared as fused glasses and pressed pellets for wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence, suspensions for total reflection X-ray fluorescence, and solutions after fusion for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measurements. An intercomparison test was carried out to study the results using several analytical methods.