Metal Mobility in Embryonic-to-Proto-Ni-Laterite Profiles from Non-Tropical Climates

Author:

González-Jiménez José María1ORCID,Villanova-de-Benavent Cristina2,Yesares Lola3,Marchesi Claudio14,Cartwright David14,Proenza Joaquín A.2ORCID,Monasterio-Guillot Luis4ORCID,Gervilla Fernando14ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avda. Palmeras 4, 18100 Armilla, Spain

2. Departament de Mineralogia, Petrologia i Geologia Aplicada, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Martí i Franquès 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain

3. Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Nováis 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain

4. Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain

Abstract

We evaluated the mobility of a wide suite of economic metals (Ni, Co, REE, Sc, PGE) in Ni-laterites with different maturities, developed in the unconventional humid/hyper-humid Mediterranean climate. An embryonic Ni-laterite was identified at Los Reales in southern Spain, where a saprolite profile of ~1.5 m thick was formed at the expense of peridotites of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. In contrast, a more mature laterite was reported from Camán in south-central Chile, where the thicker (~7 m) weathering profile contains well-developed lower and upper oxide horizons. This comparative study reveals that both embryonic and mature laterites can form outside the typical (sub)-tropical climate conditions expected for lateritic soils, while demonstrating a similar chemical evolution in terms of major (MgO, Fe2O3, and Al2O3), minor (Ni, Mn, Co, Ti, Cr), and trace (REE, Y, Sc, PGE, Au) element concentrations. We show that, even in the earliest stages of laterization, the metal remobilization from primary minerals can already result in uneconomic concentration values.

Funder

Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucía

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Geology,Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

Reference64 articles.

1. (2020, January 01). Available online: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2023/mcs2023-nickel.pdf.

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3. Conway, F.M. (2014). Arizona Geological Survey. [9th ed.]. Chapter: 4.

4. Climate change and the formation of nickel laterite deposits;Thorne;Geology,2012

5. Ni-Co laterite deposits of the world—Database and grade and tonnage models: U.S;Berger;Geol. Surv. Open File Rep.,2011

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