magnetite

mag·ne·tite | \ ˈmag-nə-ˌtīt

How to pronounce magnetite (audio)

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Definition of magnetite

: a black isometric mineral of the spinel group that is an oxide of iron and an important iron ore

Examples of magnetite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Early iron compass needles were magnetized by lodestone, or magnetized magnetite minerals, pulled from the Earth. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, "How Do Magnets Work?," 7 Dec. 2019 And that includes the, sort of the magnetite sediment that is being dumped into the lake. — National Geographic, "Episode 6: The Aquarius Project," 19 Nov. 2019 Specifically, the multi-heavy mineral prospect consists of abrasives garne and epidote, and zircon, magnetite and gold. — Elwood Brehmer, Anchorage Daily News, "Unique state-owned prospect a highlight as spending on Alaska mineral exploration rebounds," 7 Nov. 2019 That thick black sand is magnetite, an iron ore eroded from the sandstone cliff walls. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Sunday getaway to San Francisco’s Fort Funston," 23 Nov. 2019 In one experiment, when Geobacter was prevented from making pili, the bacteria couldn’t turn rust to magnetite. — New York Times, "Wired Bacteria Form Nature’s Power Grid: ‘We Have an Electric Planet’," 1 July 2019 Basalt is a volcanic rock composed of augite and sometimes plagioclase and magnetite, which says nothing. — Louise Erdrich, The New Yorker, "The Stone," 2 Sep. 2019 As magma cools into rock, magnetite grains, dispersed within and aligned with the magnetic field, become fixed: This records Earth’s polarity at the time the rock formed. — Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Plate Tectonics: The Slow Dance of Our Planet's Crust," 12 June 2019 Basaltic lava, which erupts around 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit), contains magnetite, an iron oxide whose outermost electrons orient themselves along the Earth’s magnetic field. — Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, "Earth’s Magnetic Field Could Take Longer to Flip Than Previously Thought," 8 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'magnetite.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near magnetite

magnetite series

magnetizability

Statistics for magnetite

Last Updated

31 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Magnetite.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnetite. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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