Got a question

[Josie]

I hope some of the NC folks will chime in on this as well as Painshill. I find a lot of this material in the same camp that I find points and tools. I'm curious what it might be. It is not a meteorite (CMD confirmed). It's very heavy, magnetic and somewhat rusty looking. At first, I thought magnitite but now I think, maybe, limonite? Doesn't really steak any color once the crust is removed. I have found a few artifacts made from this material. Anyone find any similar rocks?

[Josie]

Opps, sorry, South Carolina is location.

[Hoss]

I think it is oolitic hematite iron ore.

[Josie]

Thank you, Hoss. I can see the "oolitic" nature of these pieces.

[Lindenmeier-Man]

I agree with Hoss , Jo....

[Josie]

Thank you JJ!

[painshill]

I’m a little doubtful that this is hematitic to a significant extent. It’s iron ore for sure, but iron ores are usually a mixture of iron-containing compounds, within which one type may predominate. Almost all of them will give you a coloured streak, and especially hematite, which streaks red or reddish brown. Also, hematite and most other iron minerals are not actually magnetic (ie will not be attracted to a magnet). If you find something hematite-rich which is attracted, it’s usually because it also contains some magnetite which is strongly magnetic and only needs to be present in small amounts for the ore to be attracted to a magnet.

The notable common exception to coloured streaking is siderite (FeCO3), which has a typically colourless or slightly dirty streak from accessory minerals. It’s also weakly magnetic if it has been subjected to geological heating and it too may be associated with small amounts of magnetite. Siderite is actually the richest source of iron for smelting and a common diagenetic mineral in sandstones, but doesn’t usually occur in large enough deposits to be a significant commercial source.

[Josie]

Thank you, Roger. I have a lot of this material. Some pieces a very magnetic and a few are weakly magnetic. When out hunting artifacts, I find lots of different types of quartz, quartzite, rhyolite, argillite, slate, shale and the material in the pictures. I live in a heavy clay area. I can always tell when I find this mystery material. I don't have to clean off the clay. It's heavy and sets off metal detector.