Chromite

From Lunarpedia
Revision as of 02:16, 14 January 2007 by Jarogers2001 (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is a stub. You can help Lunarpedia by expanding it or sorting it into the correct stub subcategory.




Chemical Name: Iron Chromium Oxide
Chemical Formula: FeCr2O4

This is the most important ore of chromium, the element from which chromite derives its name. Chromite is found in ultra-mafic rocks amd forms in deep ultra-mafic magmas where it is one of the first minerals to crystallize. While the magma slowly cools, chromite crystals "snow" into concentrated areas near the bottom due to their higher density. Chromite is resistant to the altering effects of high pressures and tempuratures and is used as a refractory component in the bricks and linings of blast furnaces.
Magnesium is present in all natural chromites and sometimes replaces the iron to form the much rarer mineral magnesiochromite. All magnesiochromites contain some iron and both minerals form a series between them.