International Strategic Minerals Inventory Summary Report-Nickel
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U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 930-D International Strategic Minerals Inventory Summary Report-Nickel Prepared as a cooperative effort among earth science and mineral-resource agencies of Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America Major geologic age units I Million years Age before present Holocene QUATERNARY - 0.01 Pleistocene u r- 2 Pliocene 6 N r- 5 Miocene 0z UJ t- 24 I Oligocene TERTIARY u - 38 Eocene t- 55 Paleocene 63 I Late Cretaceous Cretaceous 96 u t- Early Cretaceous 6 N - 138 0 Jurassic (/) UJ - ~ t- 205 Triassic - 240 Permian t- 290 Pennsylvanian Carboniferous r--330 Mississippian u 6 - 360 Devonian N 0 - UJ 410 ...J r- <( Silurian 0... r 435 Ordovician r- 500 Cambrian - 570 u Late Proterozoic 0 N 0 t- 900 a: Middle Proterozoic UJ z .... t- 1600 0 ~ a: a: Early Proterozoic a.. cc 2500 ~ <( z u <( UJ UJ a: :I: 0... u a: <( International Strategic Minerals Inventory Summary Report-Nickel By John H. De Young, Jr., David M. Sutphin, Antony B. T. Werner, and Michael P. Foose U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 930-D Prepared as a cooperative effort among earth science and mineral-resource agencies of Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America 1985 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DONALD PAUL HODEL, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data International Strategic Minerals Inventory summary report-Nickel. (Geological Survey Circular ; 930-D) "Prepared as a cooperative effort among earth-science and mineral-resource agencies of Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America." Bibliography: p. 60 Supt. of Docs. no.: I. 19.4/2:930-D 1. Nickel. 2. Strategic minerals. I. DeYoung, John H. II. Series. QE75.C5 no. 930-D 557.3s[553.4'8] 85-600077 [TN799.N6] Free on application to Distribution Branch, Text Products Section, U.S. Geological Survey, 604 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304-4658 FOREWORD Earth-science and mineral-resource agencies from several countries started the International Strategic Minerals Inventory in order to gather cooperatively information about major sources of strategic mineral raw materials. This circular summarizes inventory information about major deposits of nickel, one of the mineral commodities selected for the prototype phase of the inventory. The report was prepared by John H. DeYoung, Jr., and David M. Sutphin of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and by Antony B. T. Werner of the Canadian Depart ment of Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR), Mineral Policy Sector (MPS). Nickel inventory information was compiled by 0. Roger Eckstrand, EMR, Geological Survey of Canada; Brian G. Elliott, Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geo physics (BMR); Michael P. Foose (chief compiler), USGS; Ian Goldberg, South African Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs (MEA), Minerals Bureau; Erik C. I. Ham merbeck, MEA, Geological Survey; William H. Laughlin, EMR, MPS; Y. J. Lepinis, EMR, MPS; Colleen M. Mock, BMR; Suzanne W. Nicholson, USGS; C. Roger Pratt, BMR; Cynthia M. Sears-McGeehin, USGS, and A. G. Sozanski, EMR, MPS. Additional contributions to the report were made by Thomas F. Torries, College of Mineral and Energy Resources, West Virginia University; Michael P. Lee, USGS; Jan Zwartendyk, EMR, MPS; Ian Goldberg; and Don I. Bleiwas, James F. Lemons, David A. Bucking ham, and Scott F. Sibley, U.S. Bureau of Mines. Director III CONTENTS Page Foreword ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III Abstract-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Part !-Overview----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Uses and supply aspects ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Distribution of nickel deposits and districts ---------------------------------------------------------- 4 Nickel resources ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Nickel production------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 Conclusions------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 15 Part 11-Selected inventory information for nickel deposits and districts---------------------------------- 17 References cited ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 60 Additional references on nickel resources----------------------------------------------------------------- 62 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Diagram showing United Nations resource categories used in this report ----------------- 3 2-6. Maps showing: 2. Location, deposit type, and estimated resources of major nickel deposits and districts in the world------------------------------------------------------- 5 3. Nickel deposits in the Sudbury district, Ontario, Canada------------------------ 6 4. Nickel districts in New Caledonia----------------------------------------------- 6 5. Nickel deposits in the Kambalda deposit group, Western Australia ------------- 7 6. Economic classification of the World Bank for countries where the world's major nickel deposits and districts occur----------------------------------- 9 7-10. Bar graphs showing: 7. Nickel resources in the world's major deposits and districts according to their date of discovery ---------------------------------------------------------- 11 8. Nickel resources in, and cumulative production from, the world's major deposits and districts according to geological era of mineralization and geologic deposit type --------------------------------------------------------------- 12 9. Proportions of total world mine production of nickel accounted for by countries having major deposits and districts in the ISMI nickel inventory; selected years 1940-80 ------------------------------------------------------------ 13 10. Nickel mine production in countries having major deposits and districts in the ISMI nickel inventory; selected years 1940-80 ---------------------------- 14 11. Graphs showing concentration ratios for selected nonfuel mineral commodity production in 1913 and 1980 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 12. Map showing major nickel deposits and districts, their present production status, and their probable production status in 2020--------------------------------------------------- 16 v TABLES Page TABLE 1. Nickel resources in, and cumulative production from, the world's major deposits and districts, by geologic deposit type and resource category----------------------------- 8 2. Nickel resources in the world's major deposits and districts, by economic class of country and resource category---------------------------------------------------------------- 10 3-4. Estimated cumulative and annual mine production of nickel, contained in ore, concentrate, and matte: 3. For each country having a major nickel deposit or district ---------------------- 12 4. By economic class of country--------------------------------------------------- 14 5. Nickel resources in the world's major deposits and districts, listed by mining method and economic class of country ~----------------------------------------------------------- 15 6. Selected geologic and location information from ISMI records for nickel deposits and districts ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18 7. Selected production and mineral-resource information from ISMI records for nickel depos- its and districts----------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 VI INTERNATIONAl STRATEGIC MINERAlS INVENTORY SUMMARY REPORT NICKEL By John H. DeYoung, Jr., 1 David M. Sutphin, 1 Antony B. T. Werner,2 and Michael P. Foose1 ABSTRACT commodities for policy considerations in regard to short-term, medium-term, and long-term world supply. Major world resources of nickel are described in this summary This report provides a summary statement of the data report of information in the International Strategic Minerals Invento ry (ISMI). ISMI is a cooperative data-collection effort of earth-sci compiled and an overview of the supply aspects of ence and mineral-resource agencies in Australia, Canada, the Federal nickel in a format designed to be of benefit to policy Republic of Germany, the Republic of South Africa, the United King analysts and geologists. Knowledge of the geologic as dom, and the United States of America. This report, designed to be pects of mineral resources is essential in order to dis of benefit to policy analysts and geologists, contains two parts. Part I cover and develop mineral deposits. However, techni presents an overview of the resources and potential supply of nickel on the basis of inventory information, which covers only discovered cal, financial, and political decisions must be made, and deposits. Part II contains tables of some of the geologic information often transportation and marketing systems must be and mineral-resource and production data that were collected by constructed before ore can be mined and processed and ISMI participants. the