{{Short description|Naturally occurring alloy of nickel and iron}} {{infobox mineral | name = Awaruite | category = Native element mineral | image = Awaruite-117868.jpg | caption = Awaruite pebble from Josephine County, Oregon, US | formula = Ni<sub>2</sub>Fe to Ni<sub>3</sub>Fe |IMAsymbol=Awr<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}</ref> | molweight = | strunz = 1.AE.20 <br/>Metals and intermetallic alloys | dana = 01.01.11.04 <br/>Iron–nickel group | system = Cubic | class = Hexoctahedral (m{{overline|3}}m) <br/>H-M symbol: (4/m {{overline|3}} 2/m) | symmetry = ''P''m{{overline|3}}m | color = Silver-white to grayish white | colour = | habit = Massive; as pebbles, grains and flakes; rarely as crystals; as rims or regular intergrowths with kamacite in meteorites | twinning = | cleavage = | fracture = | tenacity = Malleable and flexible | mohs = 5.5–6 | luster = Metallic | streak = | diaphaneity = Opaque | gravity = 7.8–8.65 | density = | polish = | opticalprop = | refractive = | birefringence = | pleochroism = | 2V = | dispersion = | extinction = | length fast/slow = | fluorescence= | absorption = | melt = | fusibility = | diagnostic = | solubility = | other = Strongly magnetic | alteration = | references = <ref name=Handbook>http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/awaruite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy</ref><ref name=Mindat>http://www.mindat.org/min-439.html Mindat.org</ref><ref name=Webmin>http://www.webmineral.com/data/Awaruite.shtml Webmineral data</ref> }} '''Awaruite''' is a naturally occurring alloy of nickel and iron with a composition from Ni<sub>2</sub>Fe to Ni<sub>3</sub>Fe.

Awaruite occurs in river placer deposits derived from serpentinized peridotites and ophiolites. It also occurs as a rare component of meteorites. It occurs in association with native gold and magnetite in placers; with copper, heazlewoodite, pentlandite, violarite, chromite, and millerite in peridotites; with kamacite, allabogdanite, schreibersite and graphite in meteorites.<ref name=Handbook/>

It was first described in 1885 for an occurrence along Gorge River, near Awarua Bay, South Island, New Zealand, its type locality.<ref name=Handbook/><ref name=Mindat/>

Awaruite is also known as ''josephinite'' in an occurrence in Josephine County, Oregon where it is found as placer nuggets in stream channels and masses in serpentinized portions of the Josephine peridotite. Some nuggets contain andradite garnet.<ref>John M. Bird and Maura S. Weathers, ''Origin of josephinite,'' Geochemical Journal, Vol. 13, pp. 41 to 55, 1979 [http://www.terrapub.co.jp/journals/GJ/pdf/1302/13020041.PDF]</ref>

Awaruite has been examined as an ore mineral in a large low-grade deposit in central British Columbia, some 90&nbsp;km northwest of Fort St. James. In the deposit awaruite occurs disseminated in the Mount Sidney Williams ultramafic/ophiolite complex. The ore has an average DTR nickel content of 0.123%.<ref>[https://fpxnickel.com/2020/04/fpx-nickel-confirms-anticipated-timing-for-completion-of-preliminary-economic-assessment-on-baptiste-nickel-deposit/ FPX Nickel Confirms Anticipated Timing for Completion of Preliminary Economic Assessment on Baptiste Nickel Deposit]</ref> DTR nickel content is the amount determined by "Davis tube recovery", a lab method that gives the amount recoverable using magnetic separation. Another such source is being exploited in Newfoundland by the First Atlantic Nickel Corp. The awaruite contains some cobalt and is approximately 77% nickel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adrian Smith |title=First Atlantic Nickel Reports Highest Awaruite (Nickel-Iron-Cobalt Alloy) DTR Grades and Recovery to Date From Expansion Drilling at Pipestone XL Nickel Alloy Project |url=https://www.juniorminingnetwork.com/junior-miner-news/press-releases/2865-tsx-venture/fan/192488-first-atlantic-nickel-reports-highest-awaruite-nickel-iron-cobalt-alloy-dtr-grades-and-recovery-to-date-from-expansion-drilling-at-pipestone-xl-nickel-alloy-project.html |date=Dec 2025}}</ref>

Awaruite, as well as magnetite and greigite, has been found to catalyze the aqueous reaction of hydrogen and carbon dioxide at 100°C in alkaline conditions to form small concentrations of formic acid, acetic acid, pyruvic acid, methanol and methane.<ref>{{cite journal |display-authors=etal|last1=Martina Preiner |title=A hydrogen-dependent geochemical analogue of primordial carbon and energy metabolism |journal=Nature Ecology and Evolution |date=Mar 2, 2020 |doi=10.1038/s41559-020-1125-6 |url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2019/06/27/682955.full.pdf}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Native element minerals Category:Cubic minerals Category:Minerals in space group 221