Mineralogía del yacimiento laterítico niquelífero San Felipe, Camagüey, Cuba.

The objective was to identify and characterize the mineral phases containing nickel in the San Felipe ore body located in Camaguey, Cuba. X-ray diffraction techniques, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive analyzer and transmission electron microscopy with coupled EDX analyzer were used. It was determined that the main nickel bearing mineral phases in San Felipe were smectite, lizardite, chlorite, asbolite, goethite and maghemite. Within the group of smectites, the nontronite (ferric-magnesium smectite) accounts for approximately 65% in weight of the horizon ore bodies and it is the main mineralogical species containing nickel mineralization; it was also characterized from the crystal chemistry point of view. These results can be used to measure the industrial efficiency grade in the San Felipe future plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]