238 ECONOMIC GEOLOGY 



ore and matte came in 1903 with 120,000 Ib. Since 1908 the out- 

 put has been included with nickel. 



Nickel: Its Properties, Occurrence and Uses 



Properties. Nickel, symbol Ni, is a lustrous white metal 

 with a faintly yellowish tinge. The metal is ductile, malleable 

 and sectile but extremely hard and tenaceous. It is permanent 

 in the massive form in dry atmosphere but in the presence of 

 moisture it quickly becomes coated with a film of the oxide, 

 NiO. The metal is magnetic but loses this property at high 

 temperatures. It is soluble in mineral acids. Its specific grav- 

 ity when cast is 8.35 and 8.6 to 8.9 when rolled. Its melting 

 point is 1484 C. Its atomic weight is 58.68 



Ores of Nickel. Native nickel, Ni, 100 per cent. Ni. Often 

 alloyed with iron. 



Millerite, NiS, 64.6 per cent. Ni. Occurring in capillary 

 crystals and tufted coatings. 



Beyrichite, Ni 3 S 4 , 54.23 per cent. Ni. 



Polydimite, Ni 4 S 5 , 59.4 per cent. Ni. 



Pentlandite, (Fe, Ni)S, 22 per cent. Ni. 



Pyrrhotite, Fe n S n +i. Sometimes containing 6 per cent, nickel. 



Niccolite, NiAs, 43.9 per cent. Ni. 



Chloanthite, NiAs 2 , 28.1 per cent. Ni. 



Rammelsbergite, NiAs 2 , 28.1 per cent. Ni. 



Gersdorffite, NiAsS, 35.4 per cent. Ni. 



Annabergite, 3NiO,As 2 5 ,8H 2 O (nickel bloom). 



Garnierite, (Ni,Mg)0,Si0 2 ,H 2 0. 



Genthite, 2NiO,2MgO,3SiO 2 ,6H 2 0. 



To this list there might be added the terestrial minerals, 

 awaruite, FeNi 2 , which occurs in the drift of George River, 

 emptying into Awarua Bay on the west coast of the south 

 island of New Zealand; Josephenite, FeNi 2 , from Josephine 

 County, Oregon, and the nickel alloy FeNi 3 as found in the 

 auriferous sands of the stream Elvo, near Biella, Piedmont, 

 Italy. 



Origin of the Ores. Nickel occurs in both the terrestrial and 

 meteoric irons. Some of these are best classified as nickel 

 alloys for the percentage of nickel exceeds that of the iron. 

 Nickel is one of the commonest of the minor constituents of the 

 igneous rocks. According to F. W. Clarke in 262 analyses of 



