Nickel is an important commodity that is used in the manufacture of stainless steel, super‑alloys, rechargeable batteries and in other high‑tech industries. When alloyed with other elements nickel imparts toughness, strength, resistance to corrosion, and various electrical, magnetic and heat resistant properties. Current global demand for nickel is mainly from China, other north Asian economies, north America and the European Union.

Australia holds the world’s largest economic resources of nickel, with approximately 25% of resources (based on latest data from United States Geological Survey, 2012). The state of Western Australia holds the majority of known resources of nickel with 90.7% of the total Australian Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR).

The bulk of Australia’s nickel resources occur in laterite deposits (69%). However, most (82%) of Australia’s nickel production is from sulfide deposits hosted by ultramafic volcanic and intrusive rocks (komatiites), within the Archean Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia (Figure 1). Australia ranks fourth in nickel production behind Russia, Indonesia and Philippines, accounting for 11.8% of estimated world mine production in 2012. In 2012 Australia’s nickel production was 244 000 tonnes.

Table 1.1: Australia’s resources of nickel with world figures as at December 2012.

Units JORC Reserves

(% of EDR)

Economic Demonstrated

Resources (EDR)

Inferred Resources

Accessible EDR

Mine production

in 2012

World economic resources

World mine production

in 2012

Mt 7.5 (42%) 17.7 17.8 17.7 0.244 72.6 2.14

Note: JORC Reserves are those complying with the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code)

Source: Geoscience Australia, the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics and the United States Geological Survey.

Mt = million tonnes of nickel metal

Although komatiite‑hosted deposits dominate Australian production, this deposit type ranks only fourth in global nickel production (18%), after deposits hosted by large igneous provinces (LIPs) (30%, e.g., Noril’sk, Russia), astrobleme (20%, Sudbury, Canada) and tholeiitic intrusion‑hosted or ‘basal sulfide’ deposits (20%, e.g., Voisey’s Bay, Canada and Jinchuan, China).

In the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, potential for new greenfields discoveries exists where known mineralised nickel provinces extend under cover to the north and east of the exposed parts of the craton (see map overleaf, region A).

Tholeiitic intrusion‑hosted nickel sulfide deposits are highly sought exploration targets due to their potential size and co‑products of platinum‑group elements (PGE) and copper. Relatively small deposits of this type have been discovered in Australia, in the Musgrave Province (Nebo‑Babel or West Musgrave deposits; see map area C, overleaf), Lamboo Province (e.g., Sally Malay deposit; see map area F, overleaf), and in the Albany‑Fraser Province (recently discovered Nova deposit; see map area B, overleaf). Ongoing studies of nickel mineral systems by Geoscience Australia and other groups indicate the high potential of several other provinces, including LIPs, to host major undiscovered intrusion‑hosted nickel deposits. Some of these regions are shown in the map overleaf.

Nickel Resources and Potential of Australia

Australia’s nickel provinces, resources and host-rock geology: Opportunities for discoveries under cover

G

F

G

F

E

DC

B

AA

PERTH

HOBART

SYDNEY

DARWIN

ADELAIDE

BRISBANE

MELBOURNE

CANBERRA, ACT

QUEENSLAND

WESTERNAUSTRALIA

NORTHERN TERRITORY

SOUTHAUSTRALIA

NEWSOUTHWALES

VICTORIA

TASMANIA

References

Stewart, A.J., Raymond, O.L., Totterdell, J.M., Zhang, W., andGallagher, R.G., 2013. Australian Geological Provinces, 2013.01edition. 1:250 000 scale. Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australia.

Thorne, J.P., Highet, L.M., Cooper, M., Claoue-Long, J.C., Hoatson,D.M., Jaireth, S., Huston, D.L., and Gallagher, R.G., 2014.Australian Mafic-Ultramafic Magmatic Events GIS Dataset, 1:5 000000 scale [Digital Dataset]. Geoscience Australia, Canberra,Australia.

Australian Atlas of Mineral Resources, Mines and ProcessingCentres. Available at www.australianminesatlas.gov.au. GeoscienceAustralia, Canberra, Australia.

Compiled by H.Dulfer, R.Skirrow, 2014.

0 500 km

Under-cover extensions of provinces in the Archean Yilgarn Craton containing komatiite-hosted nickel deposits

Extension of the Proterozoic Fraser Zone, containing the Nova nickel-copper-PGE deposit

Extension of the Proterozoic Musgrave Province in the region of the Nebo-Babel nickel-PGE deposits

Eastward extension undercover of the Proterozoic Musgrave Province and Giles Event intrusions

Proterozoic to early Paleozoic mafic-ultramafic intrusions in the Aileron, Warumpi and Irindina Provinces

Southern and northern extensions of the Proterozoic Lamboo Province with its intrusion-hosted nickel-PGE deposits

Potential for large lateritic and sulfidic nickel deposits related to mafic-ultramafic rocks in the Paleozoic Lachlan Orogen

Paleozoic

Archean toNeoproterozoicArchean to Mesoproterozoic

Exposedbasement

Archean

14-8115-1

Selected regions with nickel potentialA

B

C

D

E

F

G

1 Deposit resource size is the total tonnage of nickel metal including aggregate productionand remaining known resource (Economic Demonstrated Resource category only) in thedeposit.

Nickel global resources of known deposits1 (million tonnes)

0–0.01

0.01–0.1

0.1–1

1–4

2 Aggregate of nickel metal resources in deposits occurring in the geological province.Provinces are based on Australian Geological Provinces 2013.01 dataset (Stewart etal.,2013). Only provinces containing currently known nickel resources are shown.

Mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks3

Phanerozoic

Proterozoic

Archean3 Outcrop and/or subsurface extent, simplified from Australian Mafic-Ultramafic MagmaticEvents GIS Dataset (Thorne et al., 2014), and including rock units with dominant orsubordinate components of mafic and/or ultramafic rocks.

Nickel global resources in geological provinces2 (million tonnes)

0–0.1

0.1–1

1–10

10–40

Sedimentary cover overlying basement of indicated age

Exposed Archean to Mesoproterozoic basement(shading on basement side)

Exposed Archean to Neoproterozoic basement(shading on basement side)

Exposed Paleozoic basement (shading on basement side)

Sedimentary basins

Exposed Archean basement (shading on basement side)

Nickel occurrence

Figure 1: Australia’s major nickel deposits (light purple circles) and geological provinces containing nickel resources (shades of yellow). Also shown are the outcrop and/or interpreted sub‑surface distributions of mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks (green areas), which are the principal hosts of nickel sulfide deposits. The extent of major sedimentary basins of variable age covering older basement rocks are shown as a stippled pattern with coloured outlines.

The new dataset highlights the presence of numerous high‑volume mafic and ultramafic igneous events across Australia, from the Archean to the Phanerozoic. This geology is favourable for major tholeiitic mafic‑ultramafic intrusion‑hosted Ni‑PGE‑Cu deposits such as the Noril’sk (Russian Federation) and Voisey’s Bay (Canada) deposits.

Geoscience Australia’s nickel products and dataSelected products and data (below) are available to assist nickel mineral explorers, investors and others interested in Australia’s nickel resources and potential.

• Australian Mines Atlas: http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/

• Geoscience Australia’s nickel webpage: http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific‑topics/minerals/mineral‑resources/aimr/nickel

• Australian Mafic‑Ultramafic Magmatic Events GIS Dataset http://www.ga.gov.au/metadata‑gateway/metadata/record/78742/

• Mafic‑Ultramafic Events resource packages including .pdf maps and User Guides:

− Proterozoic (2008): http://www.ga.gov.au/metadata‑gateway/metadata/record/gcat_70461

− Archean (2009): http://www.ga.gov.au/metadata‑gateway/metadata/record/gcat_69347

• Hoatson, D. M., Jaireth, S., and Jaques, A.L., 2006. Nickel sulphide deposits in Australia: Characteristics, resources and potential. Ore Geology Reviews, v. 29, p. 177–241.

• Pirajno, F., and Hoatson, D. M., 2012. A review of Australia’s Large Igneous Provinces and associated mineral systems: Implications for mantle dynamics through geological time. Ore Geology Reviews, v. 48, p. 2–54.

For further information:

Helen Dulfer and Roger SkirrowMineral Systems Group, Resources Division, Geoscience Australia Email: helen.dulfer@ga.gov.au; roger.skirrow@ga.gov.au Ph: +61 2 6249 9451; +61 2 6249 9442Web: http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific‑topics/minerals/mineral‑resources/aimr/nickel.

Geoscience AustraliaGPO Box 378Canberra ACT 2601www.ga.gov.au

GA 14‑8156 | GeoCat 81581

Cover image: Nickel mine in Western Australia, courtesy of BHP Billiton.

Left: Greenfields exploration in Australia. Middle: Nickel sulfide ore (width 10 cm). Right: Stainless steel sheets and coils utilising nickel in alloy (Image: Wikimedia Commons—Jatinsanghvi).

Current studies of nickel resources and mineral potentialAs part of Geoscience Australia’s role in identifying areas likely to deliver successful exploration outcomes, Geoscience Australia is undertaking studies of Australia’s Ni‑PGE‑Cu mineral potential to identify possible new mineral provinces as well as extensions of known nickel provinces undercover.

Geoscience Australia has led a multi‑year project that investigates the time‑space‑event distribution of mafic‑ultramafic magmatism in Australia from the early Archean to the present day. The results of this investigation have been recently released as a GIS digital dataset entitled Australian Mafic‑Ultramafic Magmatic Events GIS Dataset, and the data are accompanied by a user guide which has been released as Geoscience Australia Record 2014/39.

0 500 km

Large igneous province

14-8155-2

Deposit type

Hart

Warakurna

Marnda Moorn

Gairdner

Kalkarindji

Komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu-PGEIntrusion-hosted Ni-Cu-PGEIntrusion-hosted PGE-Ni-Cu

Lateritic Ni-Co-ScHydrothermal Ni-Cu-Au-Ag-PGEIntrusion-hosted Ti-V-Fe

Figure 2: Selected large igneous provinces of Australia, and locations of mafic‑ultramafic igneous‑related ore deposits.

© Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2014. This material is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence.