Deposition of Extraterrestrial Nickel in Marine Sediments

Abstract

THE vertical distribution of nickel components in deep sea sediments was first obtained by the studies of long cores raised from the Swedish Deep Sea Expedition with the Albatros in 1947–1948¹. The NiO content varied from a maximum of 0.089% by weight to a minimum of 0.041% by weight. Five distinct maxima occurred at various depths, and the average value was 0.056% by weight. Four sources of the nickel content in red clay were considered by Pettersson and Rotschi¹ and the extraterrestrial supply (meteoric dust) was considered by them as the most important. This interpretation of the origin of the nickel component, however, has received several objections^2–4.