Research Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Professional Experience
2020-present U. S. Geological Survey Research Oceanographer
2015-2019 U. S. Geological Survey PhD Student Intern Trainee
2012-2015 U. S. Geological Survey Physical Science Technician
Education and Certifications
2019 Ph.D. Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz
2009 B.S. Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, University of Arizona
Science and Products
Global Marine Mineral Resources
Researching seafloor mineral resources that occur within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and areas beyond national jurisdictions.
Major and trace element geochemistry and mineralogy of ferromanganese crusts from seamounts within the Tuvalu Exclusive Economic Zone
Ferromanganese crusts were collected via dredge from seamounts within the Tuvalu Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Ocean during cruise RR1310 funded by the National Science Foundation aboard the R/V Roger Revelle in 2013. USGS scientists requested these ferromanganese crust samples from the Oregon State University Marine and Geology Repository where they had been archived. Ferromanganese crus
Marine mineral geochemical data - Part One: Pacific Ocean USGS-affiliated historical data
This data release compiles element composition data for more than 600 deep-ocean mineral samples from more than 25 research cruises in the Pacific Ocean since 1979 that involved USGS researchers. Deep-ocean mineral sample types encompassed in this data release include ferromanganese crusts, manganese nodules, phosphorites, and hydrothermal minerals. This data release is comprised of both unpublish
Mineralogy, rare earth elements, and strontium isotopic composition of phosphorites and phosphatized rocks from the Rio Grande Rise, south Atlantic Ocean
Phosphorites and phosphatized rocks from the summit of the Rio Grande Rise were collected via dredge during the oceanographic research cruise RGR1 to the western RGR. The location (latitude, longitude, depth), mineralogy, concentrations of phosphorus and rare earth elements, and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of phosphorites and phosphatized FeMn crusts, ironstones and carbonates from 10 dredge sites are presen
Sorbed-water (H2O-) corrected chemistry for ferromanganese crust samples from the western equatorial Pacific Ocean
Ferromanganese crust samples were collected via dredge during four oceanographic research cruises to the western equatorial Pacific Ocean. The location (latitude, longitude, depth) and concentrations of 27 major and trace elements in the most recent growth layers of ferromanganese crusts from 57 dredge sites are presented here, as well as select seawater chemistry at each location. These data were
Filter Total Items: 21
Marine minerals in Alaska — A review of coastal and deep-ocean regions
Minerals occurring in marine environments span the globe and encompass a broad range of mineral categories, forming within varied geologic and oceanographic settings. They occur in coastal regions, either from the continuation or mechanical reworking of terrestrial mineralization, as well as in the deep ocean, from diagenetic, hydrogenetic, and hydrothermal processes. The oceans cover most of the
Authors
Amy Gartman, Kira Mizell, Douglas C. Kreiner
Crystal chemistry of thallium in marine ferromanganese deposits
Our understanding of the up to 7 orders of magnitude partitioning of thallium (Tl) between seawater and ferromanganese (FeMn) deposits rests upon two foundations: (1) being able to quantify the Tl(I)/Tl(III) ratio that reflects the extent of the oxidative scavenging of Tl by vernadite (δ-MnO2), the principle manganate mineral in oxic and suboxic environments, and (2) being able to determine the so
Authors
Alain Manceau, Alexandre Simionovici, Nathaniel Findling, Pieter Glatzel, Blanka Detlefs, Anna V Wegorzewski, Kira Mizell, James R. Hein, Andrea Koschinsky
Deep-ocean polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the global ocean: New sources for critical metals
The transition from a global hydrocarbon economy to a green energy economy and the rapidly growing middle class in developing countries are driving the need for considerable new sources of critical materials. Deep-ocean minerals, namely cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and polymetallic nodules, are two such new resources generating interest.Polymetallic nodules are essentially two-dimensional min
Authors
James R. Hein, Kira Mizell
Estimates of metals contained in abyssal manganese nodules and ferromanganese crusts in the global ocean based on regional variations and genetic types of nodules
Deep-ocean ferromanganese crusts and manganese nodules are important marine repositories for global metals. Interest in these minerals as potential resources has led to detailed sampling in many regions of the global ocean, allowing for updated estimates of their global extent. Here, we present global estimates of total tonnage as well as contained metal concentrations and tonnages for ferromangan
Authors
Kira Mizell, James R. Hein, Manda Viola Au, Amy Gartman
Geochemical insights into formation of enigmatic ironstones from Rio Grande rise, South Atlantic Ocean
Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is an intraplate oceanic elevation in the South Atlantic Ocean that formed at a hotspot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge during the Cretaceous. In spreading center and hotspot environments, ironstones form mainly by biomineralization of reduced Fe from hydrothermal fluids or oxidation of sulfide deposits. However, RGR has been considered aseismic and volcanically inactive for the pa
Authors
Mariana Benites, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Kenneth A. Farley, Jonathon Treffkorn, Luigi Jovane
Miocene phosphatization of rocks from the summit of Rio Grande Rise, Southwest Atlantic Ocean
Marine phosphorites are an important part of the oceanic phosphorus cycle and are related to the effects of long-term global climate changes. We use petrography, mineralogy, rare earth elements contents, and 87Sr/86Sr-determined carbonate fluorapatite (CFA) and calcite ages to investigate the paragenesis and history of phosphatization of carbonate sediments, limestones, ferromanganese crusts, and
Authors
Mariana Benites, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Luigi Jovane
Ocean floor manganese deposits
Much of the dissolved Mn delivered to the oceans is slowly oxidized and precipitated alongside varying amounts of Fe into Mn and ferromanganese (FeMn) mineral deposits that occur extensively in the deep ocean wherever sediment accumulation is low and substrate is available. FeMn crusts grow as pavements on rock outcrops throughout the global ocean whereas nodules form as individual FeMn-encrusted
Authors
Kira Mizell, James R. Hein
The effects of phosphatization on the mineral associations and speciation of Pb in ferromanganese crusts
The older layers of thick ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts from the central Pacific Ocean have undergone diagenetic phosphatization, during which carbonate fluorapatite (CFA) filled fractures and pore space and replaced carbonates. The effects of phosphatization on individual trace metal concentrations, speciation, and phase associations in FeMn crusts remain poorly understood yet may be important to
Authors
Kira Mizell, James R. Hein, Andrea Koschinsky, Sarah M. Hayes
Changes in sediment source areas to the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean, over the past 5.5 million years based on radiogenic isotopes (Sr, Nd, Pb) of detritus from ferromanganese crusts
Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts provide a useful paleoenvironmental archive for studying the poorly understood climatic, oceanographic, and geologic evolution of the Arctic Ocean. This study is based on the identification and temporal reconstruction of sources and inferred transport pathways of terrigenous material in FeMn crusts collected from several sites across the Amerasia Basin. Samples from th
Authors
Natalia Konstantinova, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Georgy Cherkashov, Brian Dreyer, Deborah Hutchinson
Genesis and evolution of ferromanganese crusts from the summit of Rio Grande Rise, southwest Atlantic Ocean
The Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is a large elevation in the Atlantic Ocean and known to host potential mineral resources of ferromanganese crusts (Fe–Mn), but no investigation into their general characteristics have been made in detail. Here, we investigate the chemical and mineralogical composition, growth rates and ages of initiation, and phosphatization of relatively shallow-water (650–825 m) Fe–Mn c
Authors
Mariana Benites, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Terrence Blackburn, Luigi Jovane
Geographic and oceanographic influences on ferromanganese crust composition along a Pacific Ocean meridional transect, 14N to 14S
The major controls on the variability of ferromanganese (FeMn) crust composition have been generally described over the past 40 years; however, most compilation studies lack quantitative statistics and are limited to a small region of several seamounts or compare FeMn crusts from disparate areas of the global oceans. This study provides the first detailed research to address the geographic and ocea
Authors
Kira Mizell, James R. Hein, Phoebe J. Lam, Anthony A.P. Koppers, Hubert Staudigel
Mineral phase-element associations based on sequential leaching of ferromanganese crusts, Amerasia Basin Arctic Ocean
Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts from Mendeleev Ridge, Chukchi Borderland, and Alpha Ridge, in the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean, are similar based on morphology and chemical composition. The crusts are characterized by a two- to four-layered stratigraphy. The chemical composition of the Arctic crusts differs significantly from hydrogenetic crusts from elsewhere of global ocean by high mean Fe/Mn ratio
Authors
Natalia Konstantinova, James R. Hein, Amy Gartman, Kira Mizell, Pedro Barrulas, Georgy Cherkashov, Pavel Mikhailik, Alexander Khanchuk
Science and Products
- Science
Global Marine Mineral Resources
Researching seafloor mineral resources that occur within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and areas beyond national jurisdictions. - Data
Major and trace element geochemistry and mineralogy of ferromanganese crusts from seamounts within the Tuvalu Exclusive Economic Zone
Ferromanganese crusts were collected via dredge from seamounts within the Tuvalu Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Ocean during cruise RR1310 funded by the National Science Foundation aboard the R/V Roger Revelle in 2013. USGS scientists requested these ferromanganese crust samples from the Oregon State University Marine and Geology Repository where they had been archived. Ferromanganese crusMarine mineral geochemical data - Part One: Pacific Ocean USGS-affiliated historical data
This data release compiles element composition data for more than 600 deep-ocean mineral samples from more than 25 research cruises in the Pacific Ocean since 1979 that involved USGS researchers. Deep-ocean mineral sample types encompassed in this data release include ferromanganese crusts, manganese nodules, phosphorites, and hydrothermal minerals. This data release is comprised of both unpublishMineralogy, rare earth elements, and strontium isotopic composition of phosphorites and phosphatized rocks from the Rio Grande Rise, south Atlantic Ocean
Phosphorites and phosphatized rocks from the summit of the Rio Grande Rise were collected via dredge during the oceanographic research cruise RGR1 to the western RGR. The location (latitude, longitude, depth), mineralogy, concentrations of phosphorus and rare earth elements, and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of phosphorites and phosphatized FeMn crusts, ironstones and carbonates from 10 dredge sites are presenSorbed-water (H2O-) corrected chemistry for ferromanganese crust samples from the western equatorial Pacific Ocean
Ferromanganese crust samples were collected via dredge during four oceanographic research cruises to the western equatorial Pacific Ocean. The location (latitude, longitude, depth) and concentrations of 27 major and trace elements in the most recent growth layers of ferromanganese crusts from 57 dredge sites are presented here, as well as select seawater chemistry at each location. These data were - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 21
Marine minerals in Alaska — A review of coastal and deep-ocean regions
Minerals occurring in marine environments span the globe and encompass a broad range of mineral categories, forming within varied geologic and oceanographic settings. They occur in coastal regions, either from the continuation or mechanical reworking of terrestrial mineralization, as well as in the deep ocean, from diagenetic, hydrogenetic, and hydrothermal processes. The oceans cover most of the
AuthorsAmy Gartman, Kira Mizell, Douglas C. KreinerCrystal chemistry of thallium in marine ferromanganese deposits
Our understanding of the up to 7 orders of magnitude partitioning of thallium (Tl) between seawater and ferromanganese (FeMn) deposits rests upon two foundations: (1) being able to quantify the Tl(I)/Tl(III) ratio that reflects the extent of the oxidative scavenging of Tl by vernadite (δ-MnO2), the principle manganate mineral in oxic and suboxic environments, and (2) being able to determine the soAuthorsAlain Manceau, Alexandre Simionovici, Nathaniel Findling, Pieter Glatzel, Blanka Detlefs, Anna V Wegorzewski, Kira Mizell, James R. Hein, Andrea KoschinskyDeep-ocean polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in the global ocean: New sources for critical metals
The transition from a global hydrocarbon economy to a green energy economy and the rapidly growing middle class in developing countries are driving the need for considerable new sources of critical materials. Deep-ocean minerals, namely cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts and polymetallic nodules, are two such new resources generating interest.Polymetallic nodules are essentially two-dimensional minAuthorsJames R. Hein, Kira MizellEstimates of metals contained in abyssal manganese nodules and ferromanganese crusts in the global ocean based on regional variations and genetic types of nodules
Deep-ocean ferromanganese crusts and manganese nodules are important marine repositories for global metals. Interest in these minerals as potential resources has led to detailed sampling in many regions of the global ocean, allowing for updated estimates of their global extent. Here, we present global estimates of total tonnage as well as contained metal concentrations and tonnages for ferromanganAuthorsKira Mizell, James R. Hein, Manda Viola Au, Amy GartmanGeochemical insights into formation of enigmatic ironstones from Rio Grande rise, South Atlantic Ocean
Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is an intraplate oceanic elevation in the South Atlantic Ocean that formed at a hotspot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge during the Cretaceous. In spreading center and hotspot environments, ironstones form mainly by biomineralization of reduced Fe from hydrothermal fluids or oxidation of sulfide deposits. However, RGR has been considered aseismic and volcanically inactive for the paAuthorsMariana Benites, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Kenneth A. Farley, Jonathon Treffkorn, Luigi JovaneMiocene phosphatization of rocks from the summit of Rio Grande Rise, Southwest Atlantic Ocean
Marine phosphorites are an important part of the oceanic phosphorus cycle and are related to the effects of long-term global climate changes. We use petrography, mineralogy, rare earth elements contents, and 87Sr/86Sr-determined carbonate fluorapatite (CFA) and calcite ages to investigate the paragenesis and history of phosphatization of carbonate sediments, limestones, ferromanganese crusts, andAuthorsMariana Benites, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Luigi JovaneOcean floor manganese deposits
Much of the dissolved Mn delivered to the oceans is slowly oxidized and precipitated alongside varying amounts of Fe into Mn and ferromanganese (FeMn) mineral deposits that occur extensively in the deep ocean wherever sediment accumulation is low and substrate is available. FeMn crusts grow as pavements on rock outcrops throughout the global ocean whereas nodules form as individual FeMn-encrustedAuthorsKira Mizell, James R. HeinThe effects of phosphatization on the mineral associations and speciation of Pb in ferromanganese crusts
The older layers of thick ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts from the central Pacific Ocean have undergone diagenetic phosphatization, during which carbonate fluorapatite (CFA) filled fractures and pore space and replaced carbonates. The effects of phosphatization on individual trace metal concentrations, speciation, and phase associations in FeMn crusts remain poorly understood yet may be important toAuthorsKira Mizell, James R. Hein, Andrea Koschinsky, Sarah M. HayesChanges in sediment source areas to the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean, over the past 5.5 million years based on radiogenic isotopes (Sr, Nd, Pb) of detritus from ferromanganese crusts
Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts provide a useful paleoenvironmental archive for studying the poorly understood climatic, oceanographic, and geologic evolution of the Arctic Ocean. This study is based on the identification and temporal reconstruction of sources and inferred transport pathways of terrigenous material in FeMn crusts collected from several sites across the Amerasia Basin. Samples from thAuthorsNatalia Konstantinova, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Georgy Cherkashov, Brian Dreyer, Deborah HutchinsonGenesis and evolution of ferromanganese crusts from the summit of Rio Grande Rise, southwest Atlantic Ocean
The Rio Grande Rise (RGR) is a large elevation in the Atlantic Ocean and known to host potential mineral resources of ferromanganese crusts (Fe–Mn), but no investigation into their general characteristics have been made in detail. Here, we investigate the chemical and mineralogical composition, growth rates and ages of initiation, and phosphatization of relatively shallow-water (650–825 m) Fe–Mn cAuthorsMariana Benites, James R. Hein, Kira Mizell, Terrence Blackburn, Luigi JovaneGeographic and oceanographic influences on ferromanganese crust composition along a Pacific Ocean meridional transect, 14N to 14S
The major controls on the variability of ferromanganese (FeMn) crust composition have been generally described over the past 40 years; however, most compilation studies lack quantitative statistics and are limited to a small region of several seamounts or compare FeMn crusts from disparate areas of the global oceans. This study provides the first detailed research to address the geographic and oceaAuthorsKira Mizell, James R. Hein, Phoebe J. Lam, Anthony A.P. Koppers, Hubert StaudigelMineral phase-element associations based on sequential leaching of ferromanganese crusts, Amerasia Basin Arctic Ocean
Ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts from Mendeleev Ridge, Chukchi Borderland, and Alpha Ridge, in the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean, are similar based on morphology and chemical composition. The crusts are characterized by a two- to four-layered stratigraphy. The chemical composition of the Arctic crusts differs significantly from hydrogenetic crusts from elsewhere of global ocean by high mean Fe/Mn ratioAuthorsNatalia Konstantinova, James R. Hein, Amy Gartman, Kira Mizell, Pedro Barrulas, Georgy Cherkashov, Pavel Mikhailik, Alexander Khanchuk - News