Garnierite mineralization from a serpentinite-derived lateritic regolith, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia: Mineralogy, geochemistry and link to hydrologic flow regime

Ni(Co) Laterite Deposits of Southeast Asia: A Review and Perspective

“…The distribution of the Indonesian Ni(Co) laterite deposits is controlled by the spatial occurrence of ophiolites (Figure 2) [45][46][47]. Based on the lithostructural settings of these deposits, they can be regrouped into three metallogenic belts from west to east (Figure 2): (i) the Eastern Kalimantan (e.g., Pulau Sebuku Ni deposit), (ii) Sulawesi (e.g., Sorowako, Kolonodale, and Moraweli Ni(Co) deposits), and (iii) Northern Maluku (e.g., Weda Bay and Irian Barat Ni deposits) metallogenic belts [21,26,27,34,[48][49][50][51][52]. The Eastern Kalimantan metallogenic belt is an arc-continental collision belt characterized by Jurassic-Miocene Subduction ophiolite suites, mélange accumulation, unconformably overlain by Neogene, Oligocene granites, and deep-water sediments [21].…”

“…These rocks mainly comprise 70% peridotites made of harzburgite, lherzolite, and minor dunite and 30% pyroxenites and gabbros, which have undergone regional high-grade metamorphism and strong weathering resulting in the formation of serpentinites [26,27,34,52,69,71]. In the Sulawesi belt, the Kolonodale and Morowali Ni laterite deposits are hosted by harzburgite and lherzolite [26,27,34], while the Sorowako Ni laterite deposit is developed on harzburgite and dunite [71]. The Weda Bay Ni laterite of Northern Maluku belt is also developed on dunite and harzburgite [52].…”

“…The pyroxenites of the Morowali Ni laterite deposit principally contain orthopyroxene as the major mineral, while serpentine occurs as an alteration product of orthopyroxene [34]. Talc-like phases are also observed in peridotite bedrock of the Kolonodale and Morowali Ni laterite deposits [27,52]. The geochemical characteristics of ultramafic rocks of Indonesia are scarce in the literature.…”

“…In recent years, with the increase in nickel demand driven by the strong growth recorded by the Chinese economy, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate Ni(Co) laterite deposits in SE Asia. Previous studies have well documented these Ni(Co) laterite deposits in terms of geological, mineralogical, and geochemical characteristics, as well as the ore-forming process and exploration techniques [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. Although these studies have provided a good foundation for further research and exploration work, few have proposed a brief summary of Ni(Co) laterite deposits in SE Asia, whereas most published literature is available in Chinese.…”

Significant influence of self-possessed moisture of limonitic nickel laterite on sintering performance and its action mechanism

“…In general, limonitic nickel laterite mined always contains high percentage of water ([ 30 mass%) due to the specific genesis of its deposits, which is too high to be directly used for sintering [13][14][15]. Thus, unlike the ordinary ore sintering, the pre-drying process of limonitic nickel laterite is essential for the proper dehydration before sinter proportioning process, commonly conducted in a drying kiln in practical production.…”