Stalactitic Hematite
Allegheny County, Virginia

This specimen measures 12cm x 9.5cm



Hematite      Fe2O3

Oxides; iron oxide

Color and Luster: Steel-gray, red, reddish brown, black; metallic; streak dark red, cherry-red, brownish red

Hardness: 5-6

Cleavage: None

Fracture: Uneven, splintery, brittle

Crystals: Hexagonal; thick to thin tabular, often as subparallel growths or as rosettes; striated; also compact, granular, radiated, reniform, botryoidal, columnar; micaceous(specular), earthy(red ocher)

Note: Specimen collected by F. Howard Campbell

Photo by Mary Sutherland


Descriptions taken from
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals