Pentlandite
|
|
| 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.
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)