Taenite
Encyclopedia
Taenite is a mineral
found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorite
s. It is an alloy
of iron
and nickel
, with nickel
proportions of 20% up to 65%.
The name is derived from the Greek for "band". Taenite is a major constituent of iron meteorite
s. In octahedrite
s it is found in bands interleaving with kamacite
forming Widmanstätten patterns, whereas in ataxite
s it is the dominant constituent. In octahedrites a fine intermixture with kamacite
can occur, which is called plessite
.
Taenite is one of four known Fe-Ni meteorite minerals: The others are kamacite
, tetrataenite, and antitaenite
.
. Taenite is magnetic
. The crystal lattice has the c≈a= 3.582Å
±0.002Å . The Strunz classification
is I/A.08-20, while the Dana classification is 1.1.11.2 . It is a Hexoctahedral (cubic
) in structure.
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorite
Iron meteorite
Iron meteorites are meteorites that consist overwhelmingly of nickel-iron alloys. The metal taken from these meteorites is known as meteoric iron and was one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans.-Occurrence:...
s. It is an alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, with nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
proportions of 20% up to 65%.
The name is derived from the Greek for "band". Taenite is a major constituent of iron meteorite
Iron meteorite
Iron meteorites are meteorites that consist overwhelmingly of nickel-iron alloys. The metal taken from these meteorites is known as meteoric iron and was one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans.-Occurrence:...
s. In octahedrite
Octahedrite
Octahedrites are a class of iron meteorites within the structural classification. They are the most common class of iron meteorites.They are composed primarily of the nickel-iron alloys: taenite - high nickel content, and kamacite - low nickel content....
s it is found in bands interleaving with kamacite
Kamacite
Kamacite is a mineral. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, usually in the proportions of 90:10 to 95:5 although impurities such as cobalt or carbon may be present. On the surface of Earth, it occurs naturally only in meteorites. It has a metallic luster, is gray and has no clear cleavage although...
forming Widmanstätten patterns, whereas in ataxite
Ataxite
Ataxites are a class of iron meteorites. They are composed mainly of the alloy taenite, and also contain plessite, troilite, and microscopic lamellae of kamacite. They have no visible Widmanstätten pattern. Ataxites are the most nickel-rich meteorites known; they usually contain over 18% nickel...
s it is the dominant constituent. In octahedrites a fine intermixture with kamacite
Kamacite
Kamacite is a mineral. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, usually in the proportions of 90:10 to 95:5 although impurities such as cobalt or carbon may be present. On the surface of Earth, it occurs naturally only in meteorites. It has a metallic luster, is gray and has no clear cleavage although...
can occur, which is called plessite
Plessite
Plessite is a meteorite texture consisting of a fine-grained mixture of the minerals kamacite and taenite found in the octahedrite iron meteorites. It occurs in gaps between the larger bands of kamacite and taenite which form Widmanstätten patterns....
.
Taenite is one of four known Fe-Ni meteorite minerals: The others are kamacite
Kamacite
Kamacite is a mineral. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, usually in the proportions of 90:10 to 95:5 although impurities such as cobalt or carbon may be present. On the surface of Earth, it occurs naturally only in meteorites. It has a metallic luster, is gray and has no clear cleavage although...
, tetrataenite, and antitaenite
Antitaenite
Antitaenite is a meteoritic metal alloy mineral composed of iron and nickel, 20-40% Ni that has a face centered cubic crystal structure. Its existence as a new mineral species occurring in both iron meteorites and in chondrites was first recognized in 1995. There are three other known Fe-Ni...
.
Properties
It is opaque with a metallic grayish to white color. The structure is isometric-hexoctahedral. Its density is around 8 g/cm³ and hardness is 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scaleMohs scale of mineral hardness
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material. It was created in 1812 by the German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs and is one of several definitions of hardness in...
. Taenite is magnetic
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
. The crystal lattice has the c≈a= 3.582Å
Ångström
The angstrom or ångström, is a unit of length equal to 1/10,000,000,000 of a meter . Its symbol is the Swedish letter Å....
±0.002Å . The Strunz classification
Strunz classification
Nickel–Strunz classification is a scheme for categorizing minerals based upon their chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz in his 1941 Mineralogische Tabellen. The 4th edition was edited by Christel Tennyson too . It was followed by A.S...
is I/A.08-20, while the Dana classification is 1.1.11.2 . It is a Hexoctahedral (cubic
Cubic crystal system
In crystallography, the cubic crystal system is a crystal system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals....
) in structure.
Meteorite Localities with this Mineral
- Campo del Cielo craterCampo del Cielo craterThe Campo del Cielo refers to a group of iron meteorites or to the area where they were found situated on the border between the provinces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero, northwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The crater field covers an area of 3×20 kilometers and contains at least 26 craters,...
in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. - Henbury Meteorites Conservation ReserveHenbury Meteorites Conservation ReserveHenbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia. The reserve is located 145 kilometres south west of Alice Springs and contains twelve craters, which were formed when a fragmented meteorite hit the earth’s surface.Henbury is one of five meteorite...
in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. - Canyon Diablo in ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.