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The
nickeliferous deposits lie within the
bounds of the Surigao Mineral
Reservation, situated along the eatern
rim of the Philippine archipelago
bordering the Pacific Ocean. Much of the
1,100,000-acre reservation is
underlained by ultramafic rocks of
various facies converted largely into
serpentinites. The nickeliferous
deposits, composed chiefly of iron
laterites and decomposed serpentinite
are residual products developed in situ
during the tropical chemical weathering
of the serpentinized ultramafic rocks.
The morphological treatment of these
important deposits covers: (1) color,
(2) profile constitution, habitus of the
profile, (4) depth of profile and
thickness of respective horizons, (5)
texture of ore column (6) structure, (7)
concretions and foreign inclusions, (8)
moisture and apparent specific gravity,
and (9) erodibility. The soil profile is
used as the basic unit in discussing the
above complex aspects of morphology.
Correlation with the morphology of
similar deposits in other parts of the
world is made. |
