Pentlandite
From Academic Kids
| Pentlandite | |
|---|---|
Missing image PentlanditeUSGOV.jpg Pentlandite | |
| General | |
| Category | Mineral |
| Chemical formula | iron nickel sulfide:(Fe,Ni)9S8 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Yellowish bronze |
| Crystal habit | Hexoctahedral rare; massive to granular |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Cleavage | absent - octahedral parting |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Mohs Scale hardness | 3.5 - 4 |
| Luster | metallic |
| Refractive index | opaque |
| Pleochroism | N/A |
| Streak | light bronze-brown |
| Specific gravity | 4.6 - 5.0 |
| Fusibility | 1.5 - 2 |
| Solubility | ? |
| Other Characteristics | becomes magnetic on heating |
| Major varieties | |
Pentlandite is a iron-nickel sulfide, (Fe,Ni)9S8. Pentlandite usually has a Ni:Fe ratio of close to 1:1. It also contains minor cobalt.
Pentlandite forms isometric crystals, but is normally found in massive granular aggregates. It is brittle with a hardness of 3.5 - 4 and specific gravity of 4.6 - 5.0 and is non-magnetic. It has a yellowish bronze color.
Pentlandite is the chief ore of nickel. Typically associated with pyrrhotite, niccolite, biotite, millerite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite Major occurrence is the Sudbury deposit in Ontario, Canada.
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References and external links
- Dana's Manual of Mineralogy ISBN 0471032883
- Mineral Galleries: Chromite (http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/sulfides/pentland/pentland.htm)
- Webmineral.com (http://webmineral.com/data/Pentlandite.shtml)
- Mindat.org (http://www.mindat.org/min-3155.html)
