Earth and Space Sciences Regents, June 2026, question 50
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What the figure shows
The question says the nickel deposits at Norilsk, Russia, lie in the same mine as large deposits of copper, cobalt and platinum, and that nickel is rarely found in New York State. The passage and map describe Norilsk on the western edge of the Siberian Traps, a region of basaltic lava, volcaniclastic rocks and sill intrusions formed from erupted magma. A table has four rows with columns "Mineral Deposits Found with Nickel", "Geoscience Process" (for New York) and "Norilsk, Russia Process". Row 1: zinc and lead, recrystallization, lithification. Row 2: wollastonite and rare-earth elements, lithification, recrystallization. Row 3: iron and rare-earth elements, recrystallization, crystallization. Row 4: talc and carbonate rock, crystallization, recrystallization.
How to think about it
Open the Energy and Mineral Resources of New York State map and find the symbol Ni (nickel); note which other symbols share its label. Then find the same place on the Generalized Surface Bedrock Geology of New York State map and read what kind of rock is there. For Norilsk, use the passage and the Siberian Traps map to decide which rock group surrounds the mine, and match each rock group to the process that forms it.
The nickel deposits in Norilsk are found in the same mine with large deposits of copper, cobalt, and platinum. Nickel is rarely found as a resource in New York State. Which row correctly identifies the mineral deposits that are found with the nickel deposits in New York State and the processes that most likely formed these deposits in New York and in Norilsk, Russia? Row Mineral Deposits Found with Nickel Geoscience Process Norilsk, Russia Process
Reference table: Energy and Mineral Resources of New York State (2024 edition, page 9)