pentlandite

9.9

A yellowish mineral of iron and nickel that is the main source of nickel

noun
/ˈpɛntləndaɪt/

Specialized

: pentlandita

As the chief source of nickel, pentlandite is an important economic mineral worldwide.

Examples

The mining company extracts large quantities of pentlandite to obtain nickel for industrial use.
Geologists identified the mineral sample as pentlandite based on its color and crystalline structure.
Is pentlandite valuable?
The pentlandite mine is huge!
As the chief source of nickel, pentlandite is an important economic mineral worldwide.
The mining company extracts large quantities of pentlandite to obtain nickel for industrial use.
Geologists identified the mineral sample as pentlandite based on its color and crystalline structure.

Surface Forms

pentlandite singular

pentlandites plural

Morphology

pentlandite = Pentland (semi-transparent) = pentland + ite

The suffix '-ite' commonly marks minerals, so the formation (place name + -ite) is recognizable, but the place name 'Pentland' gives no information about composition.

Etymology

Pentlandite is named after the Pentland Hills in Scotland, where it was first found, and the ending -ite means 'mineral', just like in graphite. So pentlandite is a mineral that contains nickel, which is why it is the main ore people use to get that metal.