botryoidal hematite - Fe2O3
A good example of the botryoidal mineral habit. This was collected in Morocco, but with no label on the box and with no other data. It is possibly from a famous locality, the Irhoud Mine in Youssoufia Province, but the seller was unsure.
Hematite is the most important iron ore. It occurs in extensive sedimentary deposits, around gas vents associated with volcanism, and in contact metamorphic deposits. It is characterized by its Indian red streak and reddish brown to black color.
The botryoidal form, from the Greek botrys for a bunch of grapes, occurs when many crystalizing nuclei serve as points from which needle-like crystals grow outward radially at similar rates to form a spherical surface. These often merge together as in these specimens.
The name is derived from haima, the Greek word for blood, referring to the color of hematite when it is powdered.
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