Tetrataenite
A valid IMA mineral species
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About Tetrataenite
Formula:
FeNi
Lustre:
Metallic
Hardness:
3½
Specific Gravity:
8.28 (Calculated)
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Member of:
Name:
The name is derived from the tetragonal crystal system and compositional similarity to taenite.
Type Locality:
Iron-Nickel Group.
Common in iron meteorites, but very rare in terrestrial rocks.
Common in iron meteorites, but very rare in terrestrial rocks.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
3927
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:3927:3
IMA Classification of Tetrataenite
Approved
Approval year:
1979
First published:
1980
Classification of Tetrataenite
1.AE.10
1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
E : Iron-chromium family
1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
E : Iron-chromium family
Dana 7th ed.:
1.1.17.5
1.1.11.3
1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
1 : Metals, other than the Platinum Group
1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
1 : Metals, other than the Platinum Group
1.64
1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)
1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ttae | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Tetrataenite
Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Hardness:
3½ on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN25=170 - 200 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Density:
8.28 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Tetrataenite
Anisotropism:
Distinct in well polished sections, bluish green to brownish orange (oil immersion).
Bireflectance:
None observed
Colour in reflected light:
Creamy white
Chemistry of Tetrataenite
Mindat Formula:
FeNi
Elements listed:
Common Impurities:
Co,Cu,P
Crystallography of Tetrataenite
Crystal System:
Tetragonal
Class (H-M):
4/mmm (4/m 2/m 2/m) - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal
Space Group:
P4/mmm
Setting:
P4/mmm
Cell Parameters:
a = 2.533(2) Å, c = 3.582(2) Å
Ratio:
a:c = 1 : 1.414
Unit Cell V:
22.98 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
1
Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0000787 | Tetrataenite | Clarke R S, Scott E R D (1980) Tetrataenite - ordered FeNi, a new mineral in meteorites American Mineralogist 65 624-630 |  | 1980 | Cape Town iron meteorite | 0 | 293 |
| 0011063 | Tetrataenite | Tagai T, Takeda H (1995) Superstructure of tetrataenite from the Saint Severin meteorite Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie 210 14-18 | | 1995 | Saint Severin meteorite, Charente, France | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 3.40 Å | (100) |
| 2.879 Å | (80) |
| 2.526 Å | (80) |
| 4.239 Å | (60) |
| 2.279 Å | (10) |
| 2.187 Å | (10) |
| 2.070 Å | (10) |
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 1: Primary nebular phases | 4.567-4.561 |
| 4 : Primary chondrule phases | 4.566–4.561 |
| Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration | 4.566-4.550 |
| 5 : Primary asteroid phases | 4.566–4.560 |
| 6 : Secondary asteroid phases | 4.566-4.560 |
Type Occurrence of Tetrataenite
General Appearance of Type Material:
10-50 micron sized grains
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Mesosiderite meteorite Estherville supplied the type material. This meteorite is widely distributed among meteorite collections, including the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA (meteorite collection 1025).
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Slow cooled meteorites, esp. mesosiderites and some chondrites which have cooled the slowest.
Synonyms of Tetrataenite
Nickel-iron alloy (in part)
Other Language Names for Tetrataenite
Relationship of Tetrataenite to other Species
Member of:
Other Members of Iron Group:
| Native Iron | Fe | Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Im3m |
| Native Vanadium | V | Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Im3m |
| Steinhardtite | Al0.38Ni0.32Fe0.30 | Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Im3m |
| Taenite | (Ni,Fe) | Iso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fm3m |
Common Associates
Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
| 3 photos of Tetrataenite associated with Awaruite | Ni3Fe |
| 3 photos of Tetrataenite associated with Andradite | Ca3Fe3+2(SiO4)3 |
| 3 photos of Tetrataenite associated with Pyrrhotite | Fe1-xS |
| 3 photos of Tetrataenite associated with Native Silver | Ag |
| 3 photos of Tetrataenite associated with Pentlandite | (NixFey)Σ9S8 |
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 1.AE. | Native Vanadium | V |
| 1.AE.05 | Native Chromium | Cr |
| 1.AE.05 | Hexamolybdenum | (Mo,Ru,Fe,Ir,Os) |
| 1.AE.05 | Native Tungsten | W |
| 1.AE.05 | Native Molybdenum | Mo |
| 1.AE.05 | UM2001-06-E:CrFeNi | Fe7Cr2Ni |
| 1.AE.05 | Native Iron | Fe |
| 1.AE.10 | Taenite | (Ni,Fe) |
| 1.AE.10 | Antitaenite | Fe3Ni |
| 1.AE.15 | Chromferide | Fe3Cr1-x (x = 0.6) |
| 1.AE.15 | Wairauite | CoFe |
| 1.AE.15 | Ferchromide | Cr3Fe1-x |
| 1.AE.20 | Awaruite | Ni3Fe |
| 1.AE.25 | Jedwabite | Fe7(Ta,Nb)3 |
| 1.AE.30 | Native Manganese | Mn |
| 1.AE.35 | Nisnite | Ni3Sn |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Tetrataenite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-3927.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
Search Engines:
External Links:
References for Tetrataenite
Reference List:
Ramsden, A. R., Cameron, E. N. (1966) Kamacite and taenite superstructures and a metastable tetragonal phase in iron meteorites. American Mineralogist, 51 (1-2) 37-55
ALBERTSEN, J. F., KNUDSEN, J. M., JENSEN, G. B. (1978) Structure of taenite in two iron meteorites. Nature, 273 (5662). 453-454 doi:10.1038/273453a0
Clarke, Roy S., Scott, Edward R. D. (1980) Tetrataenite-ordered FeNi, a new mineral in meteorites. American Mineralogist, 65 (7-8) 624-630
Nagata, T. (1983) High magnetic coercivity of meteorites containing the ordered FeNi (Tetrataenite) as the major ferromagnetic constituent. Journal of Geophysical Research, 88. doi:10.1029/jb088is02p0a779
Albertsen, J F, Nielsen, H P, Buchwald, V F (1983) On the Fine Structure of Meteoritical Taenite/Tetrataenite and its Interpretation. Physica Scripta, 27 (4). 314-320 doi:10.1088/0031-8949/27/4/015
Tagai, T., Takeda, H., Fukuda, T. (1995) Superstructure of tetrataenite from the Saint Severin meteorite. Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 210 (1). doi:10.1524/zkri.1995.210.1.14
Localities for Tetrataenite
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Angola | |
| Taylor et al. (1971) |
Antarctica | |
| Kimura et al. (1992) |
| Jeffrey N. Grossman (1988) |
| Scott et al. (1981) | |
| Scott et al. (1981) | |
| Ebihara et al. (1995) |
| RUBIN et al. (2011) |
| McCoy et al. (2006) |
Argentina | |
| Taylor et al. (1971) |
Australia | |
| Jijin Yang (2010) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Fujita et al. (1991) |
| Bennett et al. (1996) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
Austria | |
| ... |
Bangladesh | |
| Scott et al. (1981) |
| Yang et al. (1994) |
Brazil | |
| Zucolotto et al. (2001) |
| Danon (1981) |
| adsabs.harvard.edu (n.d.) |
| Atencio et al. (2020) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Keil (2015) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) +3 other references |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Unlisted Editors (2016) +1 other reference |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
Burkina Faso | |
| Domanik et al. (2004) |
Cameroon | |
| 489-492. (July 1997) +1 other reference |
Canada | |
| Walton et al. (2001) |
Chile | |
| Jijin Yang (2010) |
| Kimura et al. (1991) +1 other reference |
Cuba | |
| The Meteoritical Bulletin |
Czech Republic | |
| Brearley et al. (1998) |
Finland | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
France | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Cano et al. (2025) |
| Tagai et al. (1992) |
| Uehara (2010) |
Germany | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Matthes et al. (1988) | |
| Rubin (1997) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Palme et al. (1983) |
| Bartoschewitz et al. (2009) |
India | |
| Johnson et al. (5303.pdf) +1 other reference |
Indonesia | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
Iran | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
Ireland | |
| Rubin (1994) |
Israel | |
| Futrzyński et al. (2023) |
Italy | |
| Lauretta (2004) |
| Scorzelli (1992) |
| M. Chinellato : "Two brescian ... +3 other references |
| Britvin et al. (2019) +1 other reference |
Japan | |
| Rubin (1994) |
Jordan | |
| Galuskin et al. (2024) +1 other reference |
Kazakhstan | |
| geosci.uchicago.edu (n.d.) |
Mexico | |
| Rasmussen et al. (1984) |
| Lavinsky (n.d.) |
| Funaki (1993) | |
| Graham et al. (1988) |
Morocco | |
| Meteoritical Bulletin et al. (2017) |
| Gattacceca et al. (2003) |
Netherlands | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
North Macedonia | |
| Đorđević et al. (2024) |
Northwest Africa Meteorites | |
| Riches (2012) | |
| Gattacceca (2017) | |
Oman | |
| Ivanova et al. (2002) +1 other reference |
Poland | |
| ciasem2005.cigb.edu.cu (n.d.) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Karwowski (2012) |
Russia | |
| Goryunov et al. (2023) |
| Sharygin (IIAB) |
| Sharygin et al. (2013) |
| Goryunov et al. (2023) |
| Petaev et al. (1993, March) |
| Sandimirova et al. (2016) |
| Jijin Yang (2010) |
| Vereshchagin et al. (2025) |
| Vereshchagin et al. (2025) | |
| Erokhin et al. (2017, December) +1 other reference |
| Yang et al. (2010) +1 other reference |
| - (2010) +1 other reference |
| Goryunov et al. (2023) | |
| Erokhin et al. (2018) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Jijin Yang (2010) |
| Sharygin (2020) |
| Pavel M. Kartashov analytical data of ... +1 other reference |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
Serbia | |
| MinMag 58:215 +2 other references |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
Slovakia | |
| Ozdín et al. (2010) +1 other reference |
Spain | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Yang et al. (1994) |
Turkey | |
| Meteoritical Society 72nd meeting (2009) |
| Goryunov et al. (2023) |
UK | |
| Clarke et al. (1980) +1 other reference |
| Vistisen et al. (1990) |
| Reisener et al. (2003) |
| Rubin et al. (1980) |
Ukraine | |
| Reisener et al. (2003) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Brearley et al. (1998) |
USA | |
| Anthony et al. (1995) |
| Scott et al. (1981) |
| Graham (1993) |
| Scott et al. (1981) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Scott et al. (2014) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Jijin Yang (2010) |
| Mittlefehldt et al. (1998) |
| Yang et al. (2010) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Byerly et al. (1988) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Albertsen (1981) |
| Rubin et al. (2001) |
| Rubin (1994) |
| Reisener et al. (2003) |
| McCoy et al. (1997) |
| Pavel M. Kartashov analytical data of ... |
| Danon et al. (1989) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Clarke et al. (1980) |
| Fredriksson et al. (1984) |
| Rubin et al. (1983) |
| Ehlmann (1988) |
| Reisener et al. (2003) |
| ... |
| Willis et al. (1983) |
| Yang et al. (2010) |
Yemen | |
| 63rd.Meteorical Soc. Meeting (2000) +1 other reference |
The Moon | |
| A.V. Mokhov analytical data of 2019 |
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Josephine Creek placers, Josephine Creek Mining District, Josephine County, Oregon, USA