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The mineral pyrite (/ ˈ p aɪ r aɪ t / PY-ryte), [6] or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S 2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral .
After deposition, sediments are compacted as they are buried beneath successive layers of sediment and cemented by minerals that precipitate from solution. Grains of sediment, rock fragments and fossils can be replaced by other minerals (e.g. calcite, siderite, pyrite or marcasite) during diagenesis.
Extremophiles known as acidophiles especially favor the low pH levels of abandoned mines. In particular, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a key contributor to pyrite oxidation. [5] Metal mines may generate highly acidic discharges where the ore is a sulfide mineral or is associated with pyrite.
Permineralization is a process of fossilization of bones and tissues in which mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms. Carried by water, these minerals fill the spaces within organic tissue. Because of the nature of the casts, permineralization is particularly useful in studies of the internal structures of organisms, usually of ...
The group is named for its most common member, pyrite (fool's gold), which is sometimes explicitly distinguished from the group's other members as iron pyrite. Pyrrhotite (magnetic pyrite) is magnetic, and is composed of iron and sulfur , but it has a different structure and is not in the pyrite group.
The first known use of the word "mineral" in the English language (Middle English) was the 15th century. The word came from Medieval Latin: minerale, from minera, mine, ore. [44] The word "species" comes from the Latin species, "a particular sort, kind, or type with distinct look, or appearance". [45]
The dominant minerals in the oxide facies are magnetite and hematite. The dominant minerals in the silicate facies are greenalite, minnesotaite, and glauconite. The dominant mineral in the carbonate facies is siderite. The dominant mineral in the sulfide facies is pyrite. Most iron formations are deformed or metamorphosed simply due to their ...
Above the water table the environment is oxidizing, and below it is reducing. [7] Solutions traveling downward from the leached zone react with other primary minerals in the oxidised zone to form secondary minerals [ 5 ] such as sulfates and carbonates , and limonite , which is a characteristic product in all oxidised zones.