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