How to identify Hematite

To correctly identify Hematite (Fe2O3), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Variable: steel-gray, silver-gray, black, reddish-brown, or red. Often has a metallic sheen when fresh, or dull earthy red when weathered.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Metallic to submetallic in crystalline forms (specular hematite); dull to earthy in massive or oolitic forms (red hematite).

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Can be massive, granular, botryoidal (kidney ore), reniform, micaceous (specularite), columnar, or oolitic.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Typically rhombohedral, tabular, or platy crystals. Often found as massive, botryoidal, or micaceous aggregates.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   No true cleavage; exhibits parting on {1011} and {0001}.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Found in banded iron formations (BIFs), hydrothermal veins, contact metamorphic deposits, sedimentary beds, and as a weathering product in soils and laterites.

Key Facts

Hardness

5.5-6.5 on Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

5.26 g/cm³ (pure hematite)

Crystal System

Trigonal

Color

Steel-gray, black, reddish-brown, red

Luster

Metallic, submetallic, dull, earthy

Transparency

Opaque

Fracture

Uneven to subconchoidal

Cleavage

None (exhibits parting)

Composition

Iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3)

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Rhombohedral, tabular, platy, massive, granular, botryoidal, reniform, micaceous, oolitic, columnar
• Cleavage Type: None, but exhibits parting on {1011} and {0001}
• Fracture Type: Uneven to subconchoidal
• Tenacity: Brittle
• Luster Type: Metallic, submetallic, dull, earthy

Explore Hematite