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garnierite
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lateritic weathering
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garnierite

mineral
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lateritic weathering
lateritic weathering Lateritic weathering releases nickel from atomic substitution in nickeliferous peridotite. Migrating downward, the nickel is redeposited as the mineral garnierite.

Garnierite is a soft mineral composed of hydrous nickel magnesium silicate. It is an important ore of nickel. Garnierite forms when nickel is released from primary igneous silicate minerals in mafic rocks like gabbros and peridotites. This nickel is then redeposited below the water table as the mineral garnierite, H₄Ni₃Si₂O₉.12

Although garnierite is a silicate mineral, which is typically difficult to smelt, an efficient method has been developed to recover its nickel content, making it a valuable ore mineral. Notable deposits of nickeliferous laterites, including garnierite, are found in New Caledonia, Australia, and Cuba.2

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. garnierite
  2. mineral deposit - Laterites

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