Serpentinisation and the behaviour of nickel in Alaskan-type intrusions

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Concerns over global warming have led many countries to introduce legislation that limits the future use of internal combustion engines. As a result, electric vehicles are replacing fossil fuel-powered vehicles and there is a rapidly growing demand for lithium-ion batteries to provide the necessary energy storage. Because nickel is an essential component of the cathode in these batteries, demand for this metal is predicted to exceed supply within the next three years and, by 2030, the shortfall is expected to reach a third of projected production. The proposed research, which will be conducted in partnership with Giga Metals Corp., will focus on the Turnagain Ni-Co deposit that Giga is planning to bring into production as a major supplier of Ni and Co to the lithium-ion battery market. The Turnagain Ni-Co deposit is hosted by an Alaskan-type ultramafic-mafic intrusion that is interpreted to have saturated with an immiscible sulphide liquid as a result of assimilation of a sulphide-rich graphitic phyllite. There is compelling evidence, however, that the magmatic sulphides were hydrothermally remobilised extensively during serpentinisation, which may account for the difficulties that Giga is experiencing in the metallurgical recovery of nickel and cobalt. The research, which will be conducted by a team selected using EDI best-practices, will involve characterising the mineralisation and their host rocks to establish the nature and extent of metal remobilisation. This will be complemented by a mineral chemical and stable isotope study that, in conjunction with a thermodynamic analysis of phase equilibria, will be used to determine the physicochemical conditions of serpentinisation and metal remobilisation, and model their genesis and spatial redistribution. The project will also gather information on serpentine mineralogy pertinent to potential CO2 sequestration. As a result of these studies, Giga will have access to research products that will enable it to refine its strategy for the continued exploration and development of the Turnagain deposit, adjust its protocol for beneficiating the Ni-Co ores to maximise metal recovery and assess the potential of the waste product for carbon dioxide sequestration.