Tauler, E.; Galí, S.; Villanova-de-Benavent, C.; Chang-Rodríguez, A.; Núñez-Cambra, K.; Khazaradze, G.; Proenza, J.A. Geochemistry and Mineralogy of the Clay-Type Ni-Laterite Deposit of San Felipe (Camagüey, Cuba). Minerals2023, 13, 1281.
Tauler, E.; Galí, S.; Villanova-de-Benavent, C.; Chang-Rodríguez, A.; Núñez-Cambra, K.; Khazaradze, G.; Proenza, J.A. Geochemistry and Mineralogy of the Clay-Type Ni-Laterite Deposit of San Felipe (Camagüey, Cuba). Minerals 2023, 13, 1281.
Tauler, E.; Galí, S.; Villanova-de-Benavent, C.; Chang-Rodríguez, A.; Núñez-Cambra, K.; Khazaradze, G.; Proenza, J.A. Geochemistry and Mineralogy of the Clay-Type Ni-Laterite Deposit of San Felipe (Camagüey, Cuba). Minerals2023, 13, 1281.
Tauler, E.; Galí, S.; Villanova-de-Benavent, C.; Chang-Rodríguez, A.; Núñez-Cambra, K.; Khazaradze, G.; Proenza, J.A. Geochemistry and Mineralogy of the Clay-Type Ni-Laterite Deposit of San Felipe (Camagüey, Cuba). Minerals 2023, 13, 1281.
Abstract
The Ni-laterite deposit at the San Felipe plateau, located 30 km northwest of Camagüey, in cen-tral Cuba, is the best example of a clay-type deposit in the Caribbean region. San Felipe resulted from weathering of mantle peridotites of the Cretaceous Camagüey ophiolites. In this study, a geochemical and mineralogical characterization of two profiles (83 and 84) from the San Felipe deposit has been performed by XRF, ICP-MS, quantitative XRPD, oriented aggregate mount XRD, SEM, FE-SEM and EMPA. Core 83 with a length of 23 m, and drilled in the central part of the plateau, presents a notable concentration of cryptocrystalline quartz fragments and a rather poor content in NiO, averaging 0.87% wt. Core 84, which is 12 m long, and drilled at the border of the plateau, lacks silica fragments and presents a higher NiO content, averaging 1.79 %wt. The smectite structural formulae reveal that they evolve from trioctahedral to dioctahedral towards the top of the laterite profiles. Quantitative XRD analyses indicate that smectite is a dominant Ni bearing phase, accompanied by serpentine and minor chlorite. Serpentine, as smectite, is en-riched in the less soluble elements Fe3+, Al and Ni towards the top of the profiles. Core 83 seems to have been affected by collapses, replenishments, whereas core 84 may have remained undis-turbed.
Keywords
weathering; laterite; nickel; smectite; serpentine; clay-type; Cuba
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Geochemistry and Petrology
Copyright:
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