Daerah penelitian secara administratif berada di daerah Ganda-Ganda, KecamatanPetasia, Kabupaten Morowali Utara, Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Pelapukan batuanultramafik menghasilkan endapan laterit dengan karakteristik yang berbeda disetiapdaerah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui karakteristik mineralogi dan geokimiaendapan nikel laterit dan batuan dasar, serta derajat laterisasi dan distribusinya padadaerah penelitian. Data yang digunakan merupakan data lapangan dari 6 profil lateritberupa 39 sampel batuan dan tanah, serta data assay dari analisis XRF (X-RayFluorescence) dan XRD (X-Ray Diffraction). Profil laterit pada daerah penelitian terdiridari limonit dengan kadar Ni 0,2 – 0,47%, serta saprolit 0,23 – 0,89% (termasuk sampelbedrock). Sampel bedrock yang merupakan bongkah batuan disekitar lapisan saprolitsecara mineralogi dianggap mewakili batuan dasar di bawah permukaan, memiliki kadarNi 0,56 – 0,89% dan diinterpretasikan merupakan rocky saprolite. Nikel pada limonitsecara dominan berasosiasi dengan mineral goetit dan gibsit, sementara pada saprolitberasosiasi dengan mineral serpentin (lizardit dan antigorit), talk, olivin (forsterit danfayalit), dan piroksen (enstatit). Derajat laterisasi pada daerah penelitian menunjukkanlimonit mengalami moderate – strongly lateritized, saprolit kaolinitized – stronglylaterized dan Index of laterization (IOL) berkorelasi positif dengan hubungan korelasikuat terhadap Fe pada limonit, saprolit, dan bedrock, sementara berkorelasi negatifterhadap Ni dengan hubungan lemah pada sampel bedrock.

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The research area is administratively located in Ganda-Ganda, Petasia District,

North Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi Province. Weathering of ultramafic rocks

produces laterite deposits with different characteristics in each area. This study aims to

determine the mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of nickel laterite deposits

and bedrock, as well as the degree of laterization and its distribution in the research area.

The data used include field data from 6 laterite profiles consisting of 39 rock and soil

samples, as well as assay data from XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) and XRD (X-Ray

Diffraction) analyses. The laterite profiles in the study area consist of limonite with Ni

content of 0.2 – 0.47%, and saprolite with Ni content of 0.23 – 0.89% (including bedrock

samples). The bedrock samples, which are rock fragments around the saprolite layer, are

mineralogically considered to represent the bedrock beneath the surface, with Ni content

of 0.56 – 0.89% and are interpreted as rocky saprolite. Nickel in limonite is predominantly

associated with the minerals goethite and gibbsite, while in saprolite it is associated with

serpentine minerals (lizardite and antigorite), talc, olivine (forsterite and fayalite), and

pyroxene (enstatite). The degree of laterization in the study area shows that limonite is

moderately to strongly lateritized, saprolite is kaolinitized to strongly laterized, and the

Index of Laterization (IOL) positively correlates with Fe in limonite, saprolite, and

bedrock, while it negatively correlates with Ni with a weak correlation in bedrock

samples.