Indonesian Nickel Ore - stock photo

A March 2012 photo of stockpiled ore from an open cut nickel laterite mine near Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi province, Indonesia. Excavators have swarmed over an area which geologists have identified as rich in nickel within the soil weathering profile. The nickel rich soil has formed over nickel-bearing ultramafic rocks. An upper layer of red-brown material also contains cobalt in what geologists call limonite. Below the limonite is the more yellowy saprolite horizon which contains higher grades of nickel, sometimes in excess of 2% nickel. Trucks take the nickel ore from the mining area along a haul road to nearby stockpiles.