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Willard P. Puffett

Publications and source records attributed to Willard P. Puffett.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1975

Exploration for nickel at Jabal Jedair, southeast of Ranyah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Anomalous nickel values were found in oxidized ultramafic rock at Jabal Jedair (lat 21°04'N.; long 43'29'E.) by Louis Gonzalez in 1969. Information gained from shallow trenching and pitting suggested that nickel-bearing sulfides might exist at depth. Geophysical surveys, including magnetic, gravity, and self-potential, were conducted in 1974. A linear magnetic anomaly indicated a conductor (sulfides?) was present. Two holes were drilled in August and September to test subsurface rocks below a gossan containing anomalous nickel, the trend of which is marked by a linear magnetic anomaly. The drill holes penetrated oxidized rock to a vertical depth of about 35 m. Rock penetrated by the holes is principally gabbro containing zones of serpentinite. Both holes also penetrated a section of massive black serpentinite, 25-37-m thick, containing abundant pyrrhotite. The deepest hole, 176 m inclined, reached a vertical depth of 135 m and bottomed in gabbro containing thin dikes of granodiorite. Analyses of core from the pyrrhotiferous zone indicate an average nickel content of 2468 ppm (0.24 percent), which is not high enough in grade to be classed as ore. Analyses of gossanabove the pyrrhotiferous rock averaged 261 ppm nickel, which indicated that nickel was leached from the sulfide zone duringoxidation. About 8.5 million metric tons of pyrrhotized rock are indicated from the drill holes, but this material is too low in nickel content to be mineable. No further exploration of the deposit is warranted.

Jabal Jedair↗