Red Iron Oxid
What is
Red Iron Oxide (Hematite)?
Hematite is an important ore of iron and
it's blood red color (in the powdered
form) lends itself well in use as a
pigment. Hematite gets its name from a
Greek word meaning blood-like because of
the color of its powder. Ancient
superstition held that large deposits of
hematite formed from battles that were
fought and the subsequent blood that
flowed into the ground. Crystals of
Hematite are considered rare and are
sought after by collectors as are fine
Kidney Ore specimens.
Hematite is the most important source of
iron ore in the world. The production of
iron has been important to nations of
the world for over 2500 years. Today the
addition of other minerals to iron has
lead to the production of steel which is
vital to the economy of the major
countries on Earth. Hematite has a red
or black color but the streak is always
red. The iron in the hematite turns red
when it comes in contact with water and
oxygen. In other words this rock is
rusted!!
Red Iron Oxide Physical Properties:
|
Color |
Steel or silver gray to black in
some forms and red to brown in
earthy forms. Sometimes
tarnished with irredescent
colors when in a hydrated form
(called Turgite). |
|
Luster |
Metallic or dull in earthy and
oolitic forms |
|
Transparency |
Crystals are opaque |
|
Crystal
System |
Trigonal; bar 3 2/m |
|
Crystal Habits |
Tabular crystals of varying
thickness sometimes twinned,
micaceous (specular), botryoidal
and massive. Also earthy or
oolitic. |
|
Cleavage |
Absent however there is a
parting on two planes.
|
|
Fracture |
Uneven |
|
Hardness |
5.5
to 6.5 |
|
Specific Gravity |
5.3
(slightly above average for
metallic minerals) |
|
Streak |
blood red to brownish red for
earthy forms |
|
Other Characteristics |
Refractive indices of 1.49 and
1.66 causing a significant
double refraction effect (when a
clear crystal is placed on a
single line, two lines can then
be observed), effervesces easily
with dilute acids and may be
fluorescent, phosphorescent,
thermo luminescence and
triboluminescent. |
|
Associated Minerals |
jasper (a variety of quartz) in
banded iron formations (BIF or
Tiger Iron), dipyramidal quartz,
rutile, and pyrite among others.
|
|
Hematite Chemical composition: |
Fe2O3
|
|
Class |
Oxides |
|
Pleochroism: |
Deep
red-brown/yellow-brown (usually
masked by hematite's red-brown
color) |
|
Specific Gravity: |
5.26
|
Metaphysical Properties of
Red Iron Oxide (Hematite)
Hematite is said to enhance one's
physical energy and vitality, and to
calm emotions and boost self-esteem. It
is also said to enhance memory and
intellect.
Hematite is said to help strengthen the
circulatory system and to help in the
treatment of blood and kidney disorders.
Color
Hematite is a mineral appearing as
metallic gray, red gray, red brown with
a metallic luster; it may even look more
like a metal than a mineral when
encountered in nature. The name Hematite
originates from the Greek word for
blood, haima, which refers to the dark
red color of the mineral’s streak. When
crushed, Hematite will turn water red.
Specular Hematite (Hematite with a
reflective finish) has iridescent colors
in its finish. Thin slices of Hematite
appear red and transparent.
Red Iron Oxide Crystal
Hematite crystals are members of the
Trigonal System group, which is a subset
of the Hexagonal system. It is also
conchoidal and may appear as a phantom
within other crystals.
Red iron
oxide
|
