Hematite

Unknown Owner

Thick lustrous iridescent crystals of hematite in a cluster with very little attached matrix. This would have been collected in the late 1980s. In great condition. Good examples of hematite were never very common from this locality. This one is especially nice with attractive iridescence.The Pea Ridge Mine in Washington County, Missouri is a large iron deposit located in the St. Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri. Mining began in the mid 20th century and focused on magnetite rich ore hosted in Precambrian igneous rocks. The operation became one of the major iron producers in the region and supplied ore for steel production for several decades. The mine closed in 2001, but the deposit is also known for minerals containing rare earth elements and other unusual species that have attracted scientific interest.