## 4 Results and Discussion
### Geochemical Variability of the Laterite Profile
#### 4.2.3. Saprolite
showed that the composition of these nickel-bearing minerals is variable, but there is always a mineral from the lizardite-nepouite (Ni\({}_{3}\)Si\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{5}\)(OH)\({}_{4}\))/ chrysotile-pecoraite (Ni\({}_{3}\)Si\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{5}\)(OH)\({}_{4}\)) series (serpentine subgroup minerals) and/or kerolite (Mg\({}_{3}\)Ni\({}_{3}\)Si\({}_{4}\)O\({}_{10}\)(OH)\({}_{2}\)\(\cdot\)H\({}_{2}\)O)-pimelite (Ni\({}_{3}\)Si\({}_{4}\)O\({}_{10}\)(OH)\({}_{2}\)\(\cdot\)H\({}_{2}\)O) (the fine crystalline equivalent of the talc (Mg\({}_{3}\)Si\({}_{4}\)O\({}_{10}\)(OH)\({}_{2}\))-willemseite (Ni\({}_{2.25}\)Mg\({}_{0.75}\)Si\({}_{4}\)O\({}_{10}\)(OH)\({}_{2}\) series). The Ni content measured for serpentines ranges between 0.24-7.07 wt%. In contrast, an increase in Ni concentration is seen in kerolite-pimelite 2.37-27.40 wt%. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Minerals** & **Spot** & **FeO** & **Cr\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\)** & **NiO** & **CoO** & **MnO** & **Al\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{3}\)** & **SiO\({}_{2}\)** & **TiO\({}_{2}\)** & **Na\({}_{2}\)O** & **K\({}_{2}\)O** & **MgO** & **CoO** & **H\({}_{2}\)O** & **Total** \\ \hline \multirow{11}{*}{Sorptionupgroup} & 9-1 & 12.00 & 0.02 & 2.36 & 0.00 & 0.17 & 2.83 & 36.89 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 29.49 & 0.05 & 11.56 & 95.36 \\  & 9-5 & 11.88 & 0.02 & 2.16 & 0.04 & 0.11 & 2.38 & 37.57 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 0.00 & 31.20 & 0.11 & 18.00 & 97.17 \\  & 9-15 & 5.44 & 0.01 & 1.52 & 0.06 & 0.06 & 1.06 & 42.00 & 0.00 & 0.03 & 0.02 & 37.22 & 0.09 & 12.63 & 100.13 \\  & 9-21 & 4.30 & 0.00 & 1.27 & 0.03 & 0.05 & 0.86 & 39.98 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 35.44 & 0.00 & 11.91 & 93.84 \\  & 5-1 & 7.95 & 0.02 & 2.71 & 0.00 & 0.03 & 1.68 & 41.81 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 0.02 & 31.93 & 0.03 & 12.56 & 98.76 \\  & 5-2 & 5.61 & 1.47 & 3.08 & 0.04 & 0.05 & 2.45 & 39.70 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 0.01 & 30.26 & 0.05 & 12.21 & 94.96 \\  & 5-11 & 11.84 & 0.75 & 0.24 & 0.00 & 0.10 & 0.88 & 38.11 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.01 & 34.57 & 0.03 & 11.89 & 98.41 \\  & 5-12 & 6.28 & 0.50 & 0.30 & 0.00 & 0.09 & 1.00 & 41.61 & 0.01 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 35.06 & 0.03 & 12.53 & 97.40 \\  & 5-89 & 21.24 & 0.08 & 2.19 & 0.08 & 0.11 & 0.02 & 40.38 & 0.03 & 0.38 & 0.16 & 17.13 & 0.34 & 11.46 & 93.60 \\  & 5-96 & 11.87 & 1.18 & 1.20 & 0.08 & 0.11 & 1.55 & 36.96 & 0.02 & 0.01 & 0.00 & 32.68 & 0.02 & 11.67 & 97.36 \\  & 5-97 & 9.60 & 1.31 & 1.01 & 0.04 & 0.01 & 2.08 & 37.81 & 0.05 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 33.91 & 0.396 & 97.80 \\  & 5-103 & 12.58 & 0.06 & 2.53 & 0.00 & 0.16 & 0.95 & 40.12 & 0.00 & 0.05 & 0.01 & 28.91 & 0.07 & 12.01 & 97.45 \\  & 5-107 & 11.64 & 0.00 & 7.07 & 0.04 & 0.04 & 0.98 & 43.16 & 0.00 & 0.25 & 0.12 & 21.94 & 0.18 & 12.39 & 97.81 \\ \hline \multirow{11}{*}{-Kerolite-Pimelite} & DB-24/1 & 1.30 & 0.02 & 27.19 & 0.03 & 0.09 & 0.07 & 43.48 & 0.02 & 0.02 & 0.04 & 6.62 & 0.05 & 8.16 & 87.10 \\  & DB-24/6 & 1.16 & 0.00 & 14.85 & 0.05 & 0.03 & 0.03 & 44.30 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 0.03 & 13.15 & 0.03 & 8.30 & 81.95 \\  & 4-30 & 0.51 & 0.04 & 13.24 & 0.02 & 0.02 & 0.03 & 48.68 & 0.01 & 0.02 & 0.02 & 14.54 & 0.02 & 90.86 & 86.52 \\  & 4-21 & 0.20 & 0.06 & 18.24 & 0.00 & 0.04 & 0.00 & 37.89 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.03 & 9.21 & 0.02 & 7.11 & 72.70 \\  & 4-46 & 0.04 & 0.00 & 15.88 & 0.01 & 0.00 & 0.01 & 46.39 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.01 & 14.14 & 0.00 & 8.69 & 85.17 \\  & 9-19 & 0.09 & 0.00 & 14.61 & 0.00 & 0.01 & 0.01 & 51.12 & 0.02 & 0.07 & 0.04 & 15.86 & 0.04 & 9.54 & 91.40 \\  & 9-28 & 0.43 & 0.05 & 15.58 & 0.03 & 0.02 & 0.00 & 49.40 & 0.03 & 0.04 & 0.03 & 15.09 & 0.04 & 9.24 & 89.99 \\  & DB-19/11 & 0.81 & 0.03 & 27.40 & 0.01 & 0.05 & 0.01 & 43.73 & 0.01 & 0.11 & 0.04 & 6.46 & 0.08 & 8.18 & 86.92 \\  & DB-20/3 & 6.42 & 0.02 & 2.37 & 0.00 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 50.54 & 0.00 & 0.15 & 0.09 & 22.63 & 0.34 & 9.50 & 92.08 \\  & DB-23/27 & 4.37 & 0.00 & 2.94 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 0.10 & 50.99 & 0.00 & 0.21 & 0.03 & 26.15 & 0.28 & 6.33 & 94.72 \\  & DB-24/1 & 1.45 & 0.00 & 3.58 & 0.12 & 0.00 & 0.02 & 55.89 & 0.00 & 0.15 & 0.05 & 25.94 & 0.07 & 10.46 & 97.73 \\  & DB-29/8 & 0.82 & 0.01 & 10.02 & 0.01 & 0.00 & 0.08 & 54.99 & 0.00 &