Cochise College          Photos of Minerals

                          Geology Home Page                

                          Roger Weller, geology instructor

                          [email protected]
                                  copyright 2006-R.Weller
 

Mineral Information on:
pentlandite

Chemical Group:    sulfide

Chemical Formula:    (Fe,Ni)S)

Color:  light bronze yellow          

Streak:  light bronze brown        Luster:  metallic 

Transparency:  opaque 

Hardness:  3.5 to 4             Specific Gravity:  5                

Fracture:   uneven     Tenacity:  brittle

Cleavage:   octahedral 

Crystal Forms and Habits: Isometric system
     Usually massive and granular

Mineral Associations:  pyrrhotite, millerite, niccolite, pyrite, marcasite

Identifying Characteristics: 

Uses:  nickel ore   

Occurrences:  Sudbury, Ontario, Canada 

Toxicity:      when-swallowed-          when inhaled-

Additional Information:  not magnetic