An iron–nickel alloy or nickel–iron alloy, abbreviated FeNi or NiFe, is a group of alloys consisting primarily of the elements nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). It is the main constituent of the "iron" planetary cores and iron meteorites. In chemistry, the acronym NiFe refers to an iron–nickel catalyst or component involved in various chemical reactions, or the reactions themselves; in geology, it refers to the main constituents of telluric planetary cores.
Widmanstätten pattern in NiFe octahedrite meteorite
Iron meteorites, also called siderites or ferrous meteorites, are a type of meteorite that consist overwhelmingly of an iron–nickel alloy known as meteoric iron that usually consists of two mineral phases: kamacite and taenite. Most iron meteorites originate from cores of planetesimals, with the exception of the IIE iron meteorite group
Tamentit Iron Meteorite, found in 1864 in the Sahara, weighing about 500 kg (1,100 lb). On display at Vulcania park in France.
Widmanstätten pattern as seen on an etched and polished slice of the Seymchan meteorite. Scale unknown.
The Hoba meteorite, the biggest known iron meteorite. It lies in Namibia and weighs about 60 tons.
The Willamette Meteorite on display at the American Museum of Natural History. It weighs about 14,500 kilograms (32,000 pounds). This is the largest meteorite ever found in the United States.
