• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.343-363
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• 2023

Sulawesi island, as a global producer of nickel resources, is leading the rapid growth of nickel industry of Indonesia. Nickel laterite deposits in Sulawesi was formed by lateritization of the world-scale East Sulawesi Ophiolite (ESO) under the active tectonic setting and tropical rainforest climate. In this paper, exploration cases for nickel laterite deposits in five regions of Sulawesi are reported. Regional characteristics on nickel laterite deposits in Sulawesi are understood based on various exploration activities such as outcrop, trench and pit survey, petrological observation, geochemical analysis, and interpretation of drilling data, etc.. In the northeastern part of 'Southeast-Arm', which is a strategic location for nickel industry of Indonesia, ESO is extensively exposed to the surface. In the Morombo and Morowali regions, typical high-grade saprolite-type orebodies with a thickness of 10 to 20 m occur. The cases showed that topographic relief tends to regulate Ni-grade distribution and orebody thickness, and that high grade intervals tend to occur in places where joints and garnierite veins are dense. In the Tinanggea and South Palangga regions in the southern part of the Southeast-Arm, overburden composed of Neogene to Quaternary deposits is a major factor affecting the preservation and profitability of nickel laterite deposits. Despite the overburden, high-grade saprolite-type orebodies composed of Ni-bearing serpentine with garnierite veins occur in a thickness of around 10 m to secure economic feasibility. In contrast, in the Ampana region in the northern part of 'East-Arm', low-grade nickel laterite deposits with immature laterite profile was identified, which is thought to be the result of active denudation due to tectonic uplift. Exploration cases in this paper will help to understand characteristics and controlling factors on nickel laterite deposits in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2016

Nickel laterite ore is classified into two principal ore types: saprolite (silicate ore) and limonite (oxide ore). Saprolite-type ore characterized by high magnesia and silica contents is treated by pyrometallurgy process. On the other hand, limonite-type ore is subjected to hydrometallurgy process to produce nickel products. Hydrometallurgy process requires that a raw material to meet the demands that Si+Mg contents lower than 10% and Fe content over than 40%. It is therefore required that separation of saprilite-type ore to use nickel laterite ore as a raw material for hydrometallurgy process. In this study, separation of sparolite-type ore and limonite-type ore from nickel laterite ore from New Caledonia has been tried by dry classification. The results show that -5 mm size fraction and +5 mm size fraction of the nickel laterite ore contains mainly limonite-type ore and saprolite-type ore, respectively. To understand the moisture content of the raw ore on the dry classification, nickel laterite ore with different moisture contents of 23.0% and 9.1% were subjected to the dry classification. The results show that drying of the ore makes the separation more efficient as the amount of the fine product, that can be subjected to hydrometallurgy process without further separation or drying operations, was increased.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.123-137
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• 2012

Reddish superficial materials in southern area of Korean Peninsula have been defined as lateritic red soil in Korea. In A-CN-K ternary plots, CaO and $Na_2O$ show similar linear distribution along a A-K line to kaolinite profile and laterite in southern Spain and Cameroon, respectively, and it means strong alteration. But $K_2O$ is weak alteration, plotting between muscovite and illite zone. Granitic reddish weathering mantles in study area show bulk distribution in center when plotted in A-CNK-Fm space, in contrast to laterite in Cameroon, plotting linearly in the middle along a A-FM line. Therefore, alteration of reddish saprolites in Southern Korea have not progressed as much as laterite. To define Reddish saprolite in southern Korean Peninsula as a lateritic red soil, more many studies are necessary.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2010

We investigated the effect of dry grinding of laterite on the extraction of nickel and cobalt. The major chemical compositions of the sample for this work were $SiO_2$, $Fe_2O_3$ and MgO. The sample contained 0.81% Ni and 0.02% Co. The major minerals of the sample were lizardite and quartz with minor amounts of forsterite and enstatite. The mean particle size, specific surface area and density of the ground sample decreased with increasing grinding time, while the amorphization of lizardite increased as identified by XRD analysis. The grinding enabled the extraction ratio of Ni and Co to increase by the breakdown of Mg-OH bonding in the lizardite structure. However, physical properties of quartz were not changed by grinding. The extraction ratio of Ni and Co increased with increasing grinding time. Approximately 80% of Ni and Co were extracted regardless of the kind of acid solutions when the sample was ground for 60 minutes.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.253-263
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• 2011

Mineralogical characteristics of garnierite ores from the Nakety, Kouaoua, and Ouaco Ni laterite deposits in New Caledonia are investigated using optical microscopy, powder X-ray diffractometer, and electron proble microanalyzer. Green garnierite ores have colloform, cellular, and boxwork texture, which are formed by precipitation under low temperature surface environment. They are mainly composed of Ni-bearing talc~willemseite series mineral and partly of lizardite. In Ni-bearing talc~willemseite series mineral, NiO contents are Ouaco (average 40.63%), Nakety (average 28.58%), and Kouaoua (average 24.90%), in descending order. Ni atomic percentage replacing Mg in octahedral site are 43.5~85.0%. Dark brown garnierite ores show cellular or boxwork texture, and consist of lizardite~Ni lizardite with some Ni-bearing talc~willemseite series mineral. Ni contents in lizardite~Ni lizardite are 1.14~4.06 wt. % and Ni atomic percentage replacing Mg in octahedral site 1.7~6.8%. Low NiO content in dark brown garnierite attributes to high Fe content replacing Mg in octahedral site.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.12-21
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• 2014

Nickel oxide ores are composed of two kinds of minerals; one is saprolite that is processed by smelting to obtain nickel products, and the other is limonite that is used in hydrometallugical processes. It is not efficient economically to process the mixture of limonite and saprolite, so the processes to saparate the ore mixture should be developed. In the present study, the mixture was separated by dry-classification after liberationg using grindability difference between limonite and saprolite. Consequently, it is possible to obtain the limonite with less than 10% of Mg+Si contents, which could be treated by hydrometallurgical processes, when the limonite contain less than 30% of saprolite.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 1999

안성천의 중류인 안성읍 옥상리와 미양면 양지리에는 충적단구가 발달되어 있다. 충적단구와 인접한 범람원은 대개 점이적으로 만나지만 단구애를 통해 구분되기도 한다. 단구는 전반적으로 평평한 편이나 부분적으로 경사가 나타나기도 한다. 충적단구의 퇴적물 중 점토의 SiO2/Al2O3비와 SiO2/R2O3비를 계산한 결과, 라테라이트화 작용의 흔적이 나타나지 않는다. 이는 충적단구가 최후간빙기 이후에 형성되었음을 시사하는 것이다. 그리고 충적단구가 안성천 하구로부터 상당히 떨어져 있다는 사실을 고려하면 이들 단구가 기후단구일 가능성이 높은 것으로 생각된다.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.329-336
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• 2011

• Mineral and Industry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.71-83
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• 2009

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.269-274
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• 2003

This study, one of the projects for investigation of the precious metal deposits of the Circum-Pacific Ocean coon-tries, was performed in a gem field of Pailling, Cambodia, in which there are numbers of undeveloped mineral resources. The gem fields in the Pailling area are typically distributed in the laterite, lying on of weathered basalts. The gem grade of corundum is low in the surface soil horizon(less than 1 m in depth), but is higher in the subsurface. Occurrence and genetic environment of the precious stone are not concerned in the soils. A Precious stone that is already made from at the least upper part of volcanic rocks is produced in large quantities to undergoing to weathering of the rocks. A precious stone is made from upper part of the formation under the high temperature when volcano is vomiting or after vomiting. and/or made from between the formation under the high temperature when other volcano is vomiting. Volcanic rocks including precious stone are a little different from other volcanic rocks when volcano is vomiting, but chemical composition of rocks is not far different from other volcanic rocks.