Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania

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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Simplified tectonic map of central part of
Albania (Hoxha, 2001). B Distribution of
ophiolites along of the Balkan Peninsula (after
Bortolotti et al., 1996).
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Geological map of the Prrjenas intramontane basin
(from the Geological Map of Albania 1200,000).
Noticeable that the chain of Ni-laterite deposits
follows always the boundary of serpentinite and
the cover Cretaceous limestone.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Panoramic view of the Prrenjas intramontane basin
with indication of the position of the village,
the mines and the typical lithologies of the
major chines.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Synoptic profiles of major types of the
Ni-laterite deposits of the Balkan Peninsula.
Compiled according to Ivanov, 1960 Augusthitis
(1962) Arkaxhiu and Kici (1990) Skarpelis et
al., 1996 Skarpelis, 1997 Eliopoulos and
Economou-Eliopoulos, 2000 Peci and Grazhdani,
2001 and field observations of ID in 2004.
(a)-(d) deposits of Cretaceous age. The first
column (a) represents the most typical profile
the laterite deposited more-or-less
autochtonously on the weathered ultrabsic rock.
(b) The lateritic material was redeposited and
covers slightly- or unwathered ultrabasite. (c)
(d) The lateritic material was resedimented on
Mesozoic limestone. (e) the footwall and henging
wall of the deposit is bordered by faults, the
stratigraphic age of the cover sequenci is
unknown. (f) Paleogene cover with alternating
deposition of lateritic and siliciclastic
material. (g) Deposits in the Miocene sequences.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Major stages of post-sedimentary overprint of the
laterite deposits of the Balkan Peninsula and the
Greek archipelago.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Geological setting of laterite ore deposits of
the Edessa are, Greece a Messimeri b Vrita c
Flamuria (from Michaildis, 1990). These profiles
show how different are the stratigraphic
successions even within a small area further
these profiles are representing well the
characteristic tilting and thrusting.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
The base of the Bitincka laterite layer shows a
complex geometry, partly due to the deposition on
the irregular surface of the serpentinite, but a
young faulting has also some role.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
The immediate cover sequence in Bitincka.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Ni-silicate veins in the Ni-laterite.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Serpentinite pebbles and clasts in protolaterite
Kurbneshi, northern Albania.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Limestone fragments in Ni-laterite Katjeli.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Ni-laterite mines and dumps are throning above
the settlements.
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
Microscopic reflected light image of a weathered
chromite grain (gray) which is replaced along
cracks by hematite (white). Width of picture is
ca. 270 µm (from Augustithis, 1962).
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Ni-laterites, Ni in soils in east Albania
from Michailidis et al. (1985)