Pentlandite - Definition and Overview

Pentlandite
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)