González Jiménez , José MaríaVillanova de Benavent, CristinaYesares Ortiz, María DoloresMarchesi, ClaudioCartwright, DavidProenza Fernández, Joaquin AntonioMonasterio Guillot, LuisGervilla, Fernando2023-10-062023-10-062023-06-2210.3390/min13070844https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/88200We evaluated the mobility of a wide suite of economic metals (Ni, Co, REE, Sc, PGE) in Ni-laterites with different maturities, developed in the unconventional humid/hyper-humid Mediterranean climate. An embryonic Ni-laterite was identified at Los Reales in southern Spain, where a saprolite profile of ~1.5 m thick was formed at the expense of peridotites of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. In contrast, a more mature laterite was reported from Camán in south-central Chile, where the thicker (~7 m) weathering profile contains well-developed lower and upper oxide horizons. This comparative study reveals that both embryonic and mature laterites can form outside the typical (sub)-tropical climate conditions expected for lateritic soils, while demonstrating a similar chemical evolution in terms of major (MgO, Fe2O3, and Al2O3), minor (Ni, Mn, Co, Ti, Cr), and trace (REE, Y, Sc, PGE, Au) element concentrations. We show that, even in the earliest stages of laterization, the metal remobilization from primary minerals can already result in uneconomic concentration values.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal article2075-163Xhttps://doi.org/10.3390/min13070844https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/13/7/844open access553.48631.41PGEREEScNi-rich serpentiniteMn-oxyhydroxideslateriteEdafología (Geología)Geoquímica2511 Ciencias del Suelo (Edafología)2503 Geoquímica