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What Are Rare Earth Elements (REEs)?
Rare earth elements are a group of seventeen chemical elements that occur together in the periodic table (see image). The group consists of yttrium and the 15 lanthanide elements (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium). Scandium is found in most rare earth element deposits and…
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Other Uses of Hematite
Hematite is used for a number of other purposes. It is a very dense and inexpensive material that is effective at stopping x-rays. For that reason it is used for radiation shielding around medical and scientific equipment. The low cost and high density of hematite and other iron ores also makes them useful as ballast…
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Uses of Hematite (Healing Stone)
Some people believe that carrying pieces of tumble-polished hematite, known as “healing stones,” will bring relief from certain medical problems. There is no scientific proof that this use of hematite has any positive effect beyond being a placebo. Using hematite as a “healing stone” or a “healing crystal” can actually be harmful because it diverts…
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Uses of Hematite (Gem Material)
Hematite is a minor gem material used to produce cabochons, beads, small sculptures, tumbled stones, and other items. The material used to manufacture these products is a silver-colored hematite with a solid, uniform texture. The bright silver color of hematite and its “weighty feel” make it a very popular tumbled stone.
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Uses of Hematite (Pigment)
The name hematite is from the Greek word “haimatitis” which means “blood-red.” That name stems from the color of hematite when it has been crushed to a fine powder. Primitive people discovered that hematite could be crushed and mixed with a liquid for use as a paint or cosmetic. Cave paintings, known as “pictographs,” dating…
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Uses of Hematite (Iron Ore)
Hematite is the world’s most important ore of iron. Although magnetite contains a higher percentage of iron and is easier to process, hematite is the leading ore because it is more abundant and present in deposits in many parts of the world. Hematite is mined in some of the largest mines in the world. These…
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Hematite on Mars?
NASA has discovered that hematite is one of the most abundant minerals in the rocks and soils on the surface of Mars. An abundance of hematite in Martian rocks and surface materials gives the landscape a reddish brown color and is why the planet appears red in the night sky. It is the origin of Mars’ “Red…
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Geologic Occurrence
Hematite is found as a primary mineral and as an alteration product in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. It can crystallize during the differentiation of a magma or precipitate from hydrothermal fluids moving through a rock mass. It can also form during contact metamorphism when hot magmas react with adjacent rocks. The most important hematite…
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Composition of Hematite
Pure hematite has a composition of about 70% iron and 30% oxygen by weight. Like most natural materials, it is rarely found with that pure composition. This is particularly true of the sedimentary deposits where hematite forms by inorganic or biological precipitation in a body of water. Minor clastic sedimentation can add clay minerals to…