A Geoscience Digital Image Library
A Geoscience Digital Image Library
| Title | Nickeline (niccolite) |
|---|---|
| Description | This specimen, 6 cm across, is nearly all nickeline. Nickeline, sometimes called niccolite, is a nickel arsenide mineral having formula NiAs. An important nickel ore mineral, it is generally metallic with a copper red to pinkish color. Its first name was the German term “kupfernickel” which means “copper nickel.” It sounds like some sort of alloy, but it was actually a term of derision because nickel meant “nixes” or underground goblins. The miners in Germany who first saw the copper-red metallic mineral were convinced the mineral was a rich ore of copper. Unfortunately, they found the mineral contained no copper. However, it did contain another useful metal and it is call nickel (Ni) today. |
| Photographer | Darla Sondrol. 2001-07-10. |
| Collection | University of North Dakota Mineralogy Collection #3180. |
| Key words | nickeline, niccolite |
| Tech details | 947 KB. Hand specimen. Fujifilm FinePix S1Pro digital camera; 60mm AF Nikon micro lens. |
| GeoDIL number | 1104 |
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