Siderite

Siderite crystals

Description

1) A yellowish-brown iron ore composed of iron carbonate. Siderite, also called chalybite, is mined in England, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Greenland, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, and the U.S. It has a specific gravity of 3.83-3.88 along with an uneven fracture, pearly luster, and pale yellow streak.

2) A metallic meteorite composed primarily of iron and nickel.

Synonyms and Related Terms

chalybite; spathic iron ore; siderita (Esp.); sidérite (Fr.); siderite (Port.); Siderit (Deut.); sideriet (Ned.)

Raman

Other Properties

Hexagonal crystal system. Perfect cleavage in three directions forming a rhobohedron. Fracture = uneven. Streak = pale yellow. Luster = vitreous to dull.

Composition	FeCO3
Mohs Hardness	(1) 3.5 - 4.0
Density	3.8-3.9

Additional Information

Mineralogy Database: Siderite

Additional Images

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  Siderite

Authority

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "siderite." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. 9 Dec. 2004 .

• C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 421

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998