Mineralogy and Geochemical Characteristics of Lateritic Nickel Deposit in Wiwirano District, North Konawe, SE Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

This research aims to understand the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of the nickel laterite deposit in the East Sulawesi Ophiolite Belt in Wiwirano District, North Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The deposit is analyzed and described to determine the laterization process and supergene enrichment. The geochemical data was obtained from X-ray fluorescence analysis, and mineralogical data from petrography and X-ray diffraction analysis. The minerals in the limonite zone are dominated by goethite and hematite. Minerals found in the saprolite zone include quartz, orthopyroxene, and lizardite, whereas the bedrock is made up of olivine, orthopyroxene, serpentine, and chromite. Fe2O3, Al2O3, and Co contents are high in the limonite zone, SiO2 and MgO have high content in the saprolite zone, and Ni is enriched in the saprolite zone. The distribution of enriched Ni is controlled by bedrock or parent lithology with an average content of 1.3%-2.4% in saprolite, while in the limonite zone, Ni content is lower with an average content of 0.8%-1.2%.