Garnierite

specimen number:
9302349

location:
New Caledonia, France

description:

A cork stoppered plastic vial with masses of green garnierite. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video. The size provided is the size of the vial.

New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, boasts a unique geological setting dominated by one of the largest ophiolite complexes in the world, formed during the Eocene epoch when a massive slab of oceanic crust and upper mantle was thrust over the continental margin. This ultramafic massif, rich in magnesium, iron, nickel, and cobalt, underwent intense tropical weathering and lateritization over millions of years, creating some of the most prolific nickel deposits on Earth. Mineralogically, this weathering process produced garnierite, a complex mixture of hydrous nickel-magnesium silicates that forms striking apple-green to dark green earthy masses, veinlets, and crusts lining fractures within the serpentinized peridotite. Historically, commercial mining on the island began in the late 19th century following the discovery of nickel by Jules Garnier in 1864, transforming New Caledonia into one of the global leaders in nickel production and making garnierite an iconic mineral symbol of the region.

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