Bonsai – Hematite with bird

Hematite is a shimmering iron mineral that occurs a lot in our soil. The colour and shape can occur in many varieties, but all Hematite is red in powdered form. Hematite is an important iron ore and is mined a lot for this purpose. Many types of Quartz contain trace amounts of iron in the form of Hematite inclusion, which causes a dark red colour. This red colour is an important indication for iron formations and therefore, Hematite is an important indication mineral for iron veins. Hematite is also the mineral that gives Mars its dark red colour. There is so much of the iron oxide in Mars’ crust that the planet can be observed as red without a telescope from earth. The name Hematite come from the Greek hèmatitès, which means blood-like, pointing to the red colour it gives the lubricating liquid used in polishing the stone. Hematite is probably the first stone that started to have the suffix -ite.