Lateritic weathering of pyroxenites at Niquelandia, Goias, Brazil; the supergene behavior of nickel

Autor: Fabrice Colin, Daniel Nahon, Jean-Jacques Trescases, Adolpho José Melfi
Rok vydání: 1990
Předmět:
Zdroj: Economic Geology. 85:1010-1023
ISSN: 1554-0774
0361-0128
DOI: 10.2113/gsecongeo.85.5.1010
Popis: Two typical lateritic weathering profiles (Jacuba ahd Angiquinho) from the Niquelandia Ni deposits, Brazil, were studied in order to establish the petrological relationship between the supergene Ni products and the parental pyroxenes. Frbm the base to the top of the profiles, pyroxenes are replaced by goethite and kaolinite through a series of transitional Ni-bearing phyllosilicates. The mineralogy and the chemical composition (especially the Ni content) of these clay minerals depends on the degree of fracturing and serpentinization of the pyroxenite and the location of the pyroxenite with respect to neighboring dunite. Within the Jacuba profile, smectite and pimelite pseudomorphs after pyroxene are especially Ni rich, and in fact, are the most Ni-enriched clay minerals now known in lateritic weathering profiles.
Databáze: OpenAIRE