IDENTIFYING NICKEL Nickel can be quire ellusive. One can be looking at nickel ore and not even see it, or mislabel it for another mineral.
It's a transitional mineral.
Nome really knows how it's formed or developed.
But there are key clues in which allows one to better understand nickel.
Nickel can come in several forms - metallic ( native )
- oxide
- sulphide
- nonmetallic
- silicate
- carbonate ( talcs + calcs )
- sodic
- solution form
- transitional
- bonded form... with other minerals ( tetra bonds )
Many focus on the typical nickel obvious nickel ( silvery hues )
pyrrohtites
but... there's much to nickel than meets the eye
QUARTZ vs FELSICS Quartz crystal is pretty straight forward, silicate crystal - cubic.
But, when it comes to felsics, it's then one should pay attention.
Potassics ( salt potassium ) do affect quartz and do alter the quart.
A conversion takes place - turning the quartz to a shale form quartz - felsic.
A charater that's important, because a transition has occured.
Here is where quartz sulphide nickel might convert to - forms of pyrite.
hence, pyrites and felsics have the commonality of, shaley and growth forming crystals.
Throw in, chloric intrusions with sulphides, and here is where al lthe more transitions manifest.
CHLORICS Change silicas to green hues. All kinds of green hues.
Which then involves, serpentine rocks.
Some think or suggest, there is a strong correlation of chlorites and.... nickel.
Something occurs when nicke lis found in serpentines.
They're not sure what came first the sulphide nickel or.... was the nickel already prtesent in the chlorides/ chlorites.
If one has found greenstone or serpentine, chances are there could be a hidden nickel.
If in felsicsm flesics often breed pyrites, all forms of pyrites.
Which is why, assaying is extremely important.
Nickel can be found in...,
common pyrites,pentlandite, arsenopyrites, pyrrohtites, biotite, vermiculites, sulphides.
carbonate nickel in, talc .
silicate nickels in silicates, serpentine, grenestone, sodics, chloites.
transitions - bonded to other minerals.
But, when there's a potassic or sodic intrusion even, chlorites,
nickel can transition into - salt forms.
Yes, nickel can be a salt.
Hence, it is my own beleif, greenstones are basically, chlorite altered silicas.
Serpentines, same. Each variety come in many green hues.
If these sodic salt intrusion come into contact with nickel sulphides, then...
Transitions will take place. After all, sulphide is a superb converter used in extractions, so are the alkai acids - they do the same. Each form of acid, breakdown the ores and allow the minerlas t obond creating new acidic bonds.
Sulphide is akin to - car battery acid,
While new ev batteries use ionic and alkai acids.
Do keep in mind, tho sulphide is at one spectrum and alkai is at hte other, each are opposite.
And, tho opposite, sulphide ( sulphur ) can still convert to a salt.
This i feel is quite important -
sulphide salts and alkai salts.
Classifying minerals in either category, looking for a transitional phases to determine if a specific mineral has transitioned and has gone undetected - rule nothing out. factor everything.
Which is why - it's oh so important to know what type of ore one has, and assigning the correct
assaying methids.
EXAMPLE - suppose a sulphide nickel came into contact with - sodics.
end result - transition from sulphide to - serpentine nickel ( solid solution )
in short - the specimen would garner the look of - green silicates.
one couldesily dismiss the specimen as, serpentine, or greenstone and throw the rock away.
Yet... if nickel can change ot a salt, and if a sidic intrusion, the nickel would have converted to a
salt solution anf then, hardened into the silicate rock with a green hue . And i would go as far to say, other colors of nicke lare quite possible due to limited sodics that had issues converting the blue sulphide nickels .Aqua colors come into play. ( blue + greens )
What sort of mineral would one havce if in solid solution form ?
Most likely -
ionic form. Would one want to fire assay, ionic nickel ?
Again, knowing what sdort of ore you have is imperitive and match the hatch for assaying.
Not all acids are the same.
So it goes with other bonds - oxide bones = oxygen
carbonate bond = co2
hydrogen bonds - hydrides
NICKEL CHLORIDE PHOTO https://fairskychem.en.made-in-china.com/productimage/USBEurLjggYo-2f1j00bdeiOWyaQKkh/China-Nickel-Chloride-Ni24-Nickel-Chloride-for-Electroplating.html What about assaying for nickel ? Did you know that iron has a disollusion of - 20x - 60X - faster than nickel ?
something to ponder when one sends thier cores or samples off to the lab.
Which involves how long of time would a lab leave the speciment to dissolve in acid.
If performed too quickly, the nickel would not have enough time to dissolve thus, one has to
wonder if the sludge is throw outm and this is where the nicke lwould still be.
While other mineral constiuents would go off to firing.
Nickel never to be reckonized.
CITED - It is found that the dissolution rate of iron metal is... by LG Elfimova · 2022 — It is found that the dissolution rate of iron metal is up to 20-60 times faster than nickel metal dissolution rate. A question was asked what is the best format of assaying -
I had a lil laugh, all because when i was research the subject of nickel, going beyond the norm,
i knew off the top what format was best... i have tried looking for that specific nickel assaying test.
If i recall, Green River Gold, used this style of assaying.
So, i went off searching their press releases - i am not seeing it anymore...very odd.
it might, might, might, be... lithium nitric acid ?
Again, do forgive. I'll try to find it.
TETRA BONDS In short, here is where the nickel is bonded to other oxides or minerals , and at the lab, which ever mineral is more dominant - gets the accredidation.
Example - 60% magnesium 40% nickel
Lab equiptment identifies the magnesium as more promiant and thus, the magnesium is the only mineral identified.
Should one dismiss other metal oxides in rock specimens or, cores ?
no... consider all minerals have associations
each are at final stage or phase or still in transition, hence the periodic table.
NICKEL CONNECTION aluminum, magnesium, manganese
yes... nickel is associated to these mineral - bonded form.
HERE'S THE ONE PAGE EXCERPT - DIFFERENT NICKEL SPEICES - Take note of the formulas - Mg + Ni
Even the calcium carbonate nickel.
Again, lab assaying ,what would the spectrometer sway to ?
Would it sway to moreso calcium or magnesium and dismiss the NICKEL ?
Breaking therse bonds firstly, dissaccociation then, separating the nickel, then, identifying it's percentage by weight per gram or tonne... by volume.
If some think this is too technical... i would remind then that even gold comes in different grades of purity . Hnece, once fired and purified the gold gram weright is most often reduced.
Original 5g/t could result in, 3 grams/tonne after fire purifying it.
TOUCH TOPIC AGAIN ON SALTS - SALT BONDING
what sorts of salts are there ?
- Sodium - salt
- Aluminum - salt
- Magnesium - salt
- Phosphorus - salt
- Potassium - salt
- sulphide salts
- chloride / chlorite salts ) on own - without sodium
- Calcium lime - salt
yes... lots of salts - sodic intrusions.
which twists one mind and makes one rethink what sulphides really are, and why is the sulphure salt opposite than all other sodic salts - see what i see ?
NOT ALL - XRF'S - ARE THE SAME - And.. i've also pointed out - how minerals can bond together - and if one has more percentage
than the other - chances are.... XRF will choose the higher percentage mineral.
20% iron + 2% nickel.
Iron will win over - nickel won't even be known.
IRONS - Some geologists have been trained to think - green oxidation - its no more than, iron staining.
But ---- is this analyst good preactice ?
My own opinion - of course not.
Most ... nickel and copper discoveries - are found in the IRONS.
IRONS have strong associations to - PYRITES ( ALL FORMES OF ITES ) .
If ithere's green - aqua green, bright lime green - - i myself would to a double take.
If the matrix has several types of pyrite ( kinds ) it would certain command my attention.
EXCERPTS -
" Magnesium is the major cation of the octahedral site and shows a strong negative correlation with Ni, suggesting that Ni is replacing Mg "
The serpentines from Santa F have a lower total Al amount among all compared deposits, with Al having a positive correlation with Ni content (Fig. 12). Overall, the Al gain of serpentine II is greater than on serpentine I, except for a group of samples of serpentine II where Al amount is lower, yet still having high Ni content. Now is a Mg replacement occuring, or a traniistioning ? Or, is there a direct correlation to, Mg, Al, Mn ?
A MUST READ -
https://www.scielo.br/j/bjgeo/a/NhtQH8yZXGgsFq7bpLT7SKh/# IT'S A KEEPER -
https://www.persee.fr/doc/bulmi_0180-9210_1980_num_103_2_7391
Yeah.. we should check the aluminum and magnesium - for nickel
And do a double take on the - sepentine and chlorites - for nickel.
Here's a photo showing how the nickel bonds to the - chlorite.
WEB LINK -
below photo image -
FOUND IT - SPECIAL ASSAY METHOD FOR - NICKEL Here's the info on ideal discrimination btween two kinds of nickels -
In plight of, knwing the full percentages of nickel in two forms of one rock specimen.
VERY IMPORTANT - could make a difference of, noneconomic to = economic percentages.
What did Inomin use...
to detect the hidden nickel in solid green serpentine ? SGS Minerals Services of Burnaby, BC was chosen to analyze the core samples. Samples were dried, crushed, split, and pulverized prior to analyses. Multi-element analyses was completed using
SGS’s GE-ICP90A50 method which is a 29 element package using a
sodium peroxide digestion with an ICP-AES finish. This package was chosen specifically to
discriminate sulphide nickel from silicate nickels generally found in olivines. Nickel mineralization at Beaver is associated with shallow dipping ultramafic rocks. Preliminary metallurgical tests conducted by SGS Canada Inc. demonstrated that 90% of the nickel is in the form of nickel sulphide minerals heazlewoodite and pentlandite, with the
remaining found in serpentine minerals. I HAVE READ OF OTHERS USING - fusion assaying...
2 EXCERPTS - BACKING - NICKEL IN SOLID SOLUTION - PAGE - 59 - In 1951, Falconbridge Nickel Mines Limited diamond drilled 4 holes on the showings, and in 1952, Ontario Nickel Mines Limited put down 2 diamond-drill holes (Thomson et al. 1957, p.98-99). The grade of mineralization in the holes ranged from 0.21 percent nickel and 0.44 percent copper in very disseminated material, to 3.82 percent nickel and 2.38 percent copper in massive sulphides.
Polished section examination of the disseminated sulphides, which generally constitute less than 10 percent of the rock, shows that they consist mainly of pyrrhotite (80 percent) and chalcopyrite (20 percent) with very minor pyrite. The sulphides replace silicates and chalcopyrite appears to replace pyrrhotite. It is possible that the sulphides formed by alteration of silicate minerals which originally contained copper and nickel in solid solution.
4-Modal analyses of rocks of the Bruce, Espanola, and Serpent Formations.. .Chart B, back pocket ... contained copper and nickel in solid solution Can we learn anything from - Sudbury ? What i likeabout this report is... they included the - silicon, magnesium, potassium - wink.
Beginning in 1971, all of the Inco drill core from Sudbury was analysed by the Inco Field Exploration Laboratory using a Philips 1270 simultaneous X-ray fusion (XRF) unit which was equipped with 14 channels (
Si, Fe,
Mg, Co, Ni, Al, S, Cu, Ca, Ti, Mo,
K, Zn, As). The XRF unit was calibrated using 200 samples which represented the various ore deposits in the Sudbury district. Samples were pressed in aluminum cups with a binder for 12 seconds at 15 tons on a Herzog press. Results for the pressed pellets for diamond drill samples were reported for copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, and sulphur. The XRF program also calculated a specific gravity based on intensities from the 14 channels. Three control samples at various sulphide concentrations were routinely run to ensure that the calibration remained accurate.
Starting in late 1990s, all core drill samples were prepared and analysed at the ALS Geochemistry laboratory using the
Na2O2 fusion/ICP procedure for base metals, iron and sulphur, whereas precious metals were analyzed by a fire assay/ICP method
All samples were analyzed for copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, sulphur, arsenic, lead and zinc using a sodium peroxide fusion with
inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) finish (ALS method ME-ICP81).
When requested, lime,
magnesia and silica were also reported.
Should a junior test for - free nicekl ions - non metal form - in their cores ?
if present... could a lab assay -
plasma heat - complete the fusion of nickel ion to silicate ?
The Abstract paper is a big find for me....
It's like a missing link to what my hunch was pointing to... on own.
That there was something about potassium and a free roaming nickel...
Whether metallic or oxide or ionic....
I don't feel i have all the answers i need but... am getting close to solving this...lol
I must also remind myself - chlorite also has an influence on potassium in felsics.
They do perform swaps... which then brings into play....
Serpentine, chlorite, nickel bonds.
So.. let's look at a high charability - deposit - in a different way -
Lots of salts, interacting, water, acids, sulphur, chlorines, potassium, and....
telluric currents charging these elements which promote - crystal growths.
p.s. - look for a free roaming - nickel ion - in non metallic form.
most likely in the chlorites, or could be potassic in nature. ( or both ) if each have reacted.
if a nickel ion is present... then, one has to ask, what is needed to give nickel a home ?
What would facilitate a nickel ion - bond - to say.... silicate to form silicate nickel ?
Which is why colors are extremely important,
Never dismiss colorations. Colors speak a language that tells what's really going on.
Hope this material helps Newt.... Months of research the subject of nickel....
1,000s of reports sifted through extracting just the best knowledge ,and some of my own...
Hoping to better understand nicke land it's transitional phases / bonding / detections.
For others ?
Certainly not investment adivce.
Do your own diligence.
My research or post, is not intended for this stock or any other.
Some of my research might not align, but then again, it could match the hatch.
Cheers....