Manganese than one minute. The primary decay mode before the most abundant stable isotope, Mn, is electron capture and the primary mode after is beta decay. Manganese also has three meta states. Manganese is part of the iron group of elements, which are thought to be synthesized in large stars shortly before the supernova explosion. Mn decays to Cr with a half-life of 3.7 million years. Because of its relatively short half-life, Mn is relatively rare, produced by cosmic rays impact on iron. Manganese isotopic contents are typically combined with chromium isotopic contents and have found application in isotope geology and
Manganese recovery of the manganese. For further purification, the manganese can then be sent to an electrowinning facility. In 1972 the CIA's Project Azorian, through billionaire Howard Hughes, commissioned the ship "Hughes Glomar Explorer" with the cover story of harvesting manganese nodules from the sea floor. That triggered a rush of activity to collect manganese nodules, which was not actually practical. The real mission of "Hughes Glomar Explorer" was to raise a sunken Soviet submarine, the K-129, with the goal of retrieving Soviet code books. Manganese has no satisfactory substitute in its major applications in metallurgy. In minor applications, (e.g., manganese