Syn- and epigenetic nickel mineralization in the Kamchatka plutonic mafite-ultramafite formations

Abstract

The paper presents data on known objects in the sulfide copper-nickel ore formation in Kamchatka, as well as other ore occurrences and points of nickel mineralization related to certain magmatic formations. The authors have revealed the empirical regularities in the distribution of the background contents of nickel, cobalt, copper, and sulfur in ore-free differences of the rocks from the regional mafite-ultramafite formations and their interrelation with ore mineralization of various genesis. Ore content in the intrusions of cortlandite-norite formation is caused by the concentration of nickel in the sulfides at the magmatic stage. The origin of the nickel ores in the dunite-harzburgite-gabbro formation of Kamchatka is mainly associated with its concen-tration caused by epigenetic processes. Possible identification of industrial nickel ore content can be associated with the copper-sulfides ores in the blocks of hyperbasites from the dunite-harzburgite-gabbro formation from the zones with the serpentinite melange in Eastern Kamchatka. In this case, nickel and cobalt can be considered only as a by-product in the processing of copper and zinc-copper ores.

Keywords

• Kamchatka
• formations
• nickel
• copper
• cobalt
• content
• prospects