Nickel Laterite Deposits

Under tropical conditions, fresh rock weathers very quickly and to great depths. Rocks in tropical climates weather to form laterite, a soft, deeply weathered mixture of oxide and hydroxide minerals and clays. Some metals may be leached away by the weathering process, but others such as aluminum, iron and nickel can remain as oxides or silicates. Laterites produce virtually all the world’s aluminum ore and lateritic nickel deposits are a significant source of metal.