Pentlandite is an iron–nickel sulfide with the chemical formula (Fe,Ni)9S8. Pentlandite has a narrow variation range in nickel to iron ratios (Ni:Fe), but it is usually described as 1:1. In some cases, this ratio is skewed by the presence of pyrrhotite inclusions. It also contains minor cobalt, usually at low levels as a fraction of weight.
3.1 × 2.6 cm mass of pentlandite with some pyrrhotite
Pentlandite in pyrrhotite, ore specimen from the Sudbury Basin (field of view 3.4 cm)
Pentlandite specimen from Kambalda, Western Australia
Pentlandite occurring with pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and magnetite. Specimen from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust, being mainly deposited by meteorites in its metallic state.
Iron
A polished and chemically etched piece of an iron meteorite, believed to be similar in composition to the Earth's metallic core, showing individual crystals of the iron-nickel alloy (Widmanstatten pattern)
Ochre path in Roussillon
Banded iron formation in McKinley Park, Minnesota
