Abstract
These were the first major nickel deposits to be worked in the world. The deposits are residual accumulations of nickel Minerals formed during the development of laterite profiles over masses of serpentinized ultrabasic rock, a type of nickel deposits now know to occur in several parts of the world, and probably representing the most important source of the metal for the future.
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Further Reading
Glasser, E. (1903), Les Principaux Gisements Connus en Nouvelle Caledonie. In: Les Richesses Minérales de la Nouvelle Caledonie. pp.397–536. Joui, des Mines 10 ser. 5. [Although old, this is the most complete documentation of these deposits, full of useful factual information. It also sets out the basic principles of the accepted genetic interpretation.]
Chetelat, E. de (1947), La Genèse et l’Evolution des Gisements de Nickel de la Nouvelle Caledonie. Bull. Soc. Geol. Fr. 5me ser. 17, 105–60. [Pretty well the definitive genetic essay on the subject that develops the ideas of Glasser.]
Lacroix, M. A. (1943), Les Peridotites de la Nouvelle Caledonie, leurs Serpentines et leurs Gites de Nickel et de Cobalt; les Gabbros qui les Accompagnent. Acad. Sci. Paris, Mem. 66. [The major work on the ultrabasic rocks.]
Routhier, P. (1953), Versant Occidental de la Nouvelle Caledonie entre le Col de Boghen et la Pointe d’Arama. Mem. Soc. Geol. Fr. Nouv. Ser. 67, 271pp. et 25pl. [Probably the best-detailed description of the general geology of the island, describing the setting of one of the nickeliferous masses.]
Boldt, J. R. (1967), The Winning of Nickel. Methuen, London. [This admirable book contains one of the few descriptions of the New Caledonian nickel deposits in English. Geology, mining and metallurgy are discussed; see particularly pp. 10–13, 61–4, 183–7, 389–97 and 403–7.] For a good brief description of the deposits, see Ch. 6 of Rothier, 1963, on p. 11 of this volume.
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© 1979 Colin J. Dixon
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Dixon, C.J. (1979). The Nickel Deposits of New Caledonia. In: Atlas of Economic Mineral Deposits. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6511-2_5
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