- Kamacite
Kamacite is a
mineral . It is analloy ofiron andnickel , usually in the proportions of 90:10 to 95:5 although impurities such ascobalt orcarbon may be present. On the surface of Earth, it occurs naturally only inmeteorite s. It has a metallic lustre, is grey and has no clear cleavage although the structure is isometric-hexoctahedral. Its density is around 8 g/cm³ and its hardness is 4 on the Mohs scale. It is also sometimes called balkeneisen.The name was coined in
1861 and is derived from the Greek "kamask" (lath or beam). It is a major constituent ofiron meteorite s (octahedrite andhexahedrite types). In theoctahedrite s it is found in bands interleaving withtaenite formingWidmanstätten patterns . Inhexahedrite s, fine parallel lines calledNeumann line s are often seen, which are evidence for structural deformation of adjacent kamacite plates due to shock from impacts.At times kamacite can be found so closely intermixed with
taenite that it is difficult to distinguish them visually, formingplessite .See also:
list of minerals References
* [http://webmineral.com/data/Kamacite.shtml Webmineral.com]
* [http://www.meteorite.fr/en/classification/ironmain.htm#strucclass www.meteorite.fr]
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