Siderite

Siderita cut

The siderite or siderose is a class 05 mineral of the Strunz classification, the so-called carbonate and nitrate minerals. It is an iron (II) carbonate (FeCO₃), from the calcite group. It is one of the main iron ores known since prehistoric times. It was named in 1832 by François Sulpice Beudant and described in 1845 by Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger, deriving the name from the Greek σίδερος, sideros, 'iron', alluding to its composition. chemistry. Synonyms that it has received in Spanish: aerosiderite, bemmelenite, chalybite, gyrita, pelosiderite or thomaite.

Features

Siderite is a heavy mineral, it has a composition of iron carbonate and a hexagonal internal arrangement.

Series

Forms solid solution series with other minerals:

• With magnesite (MgCO)₃) forms a series replacing the Faith by Mg.
• With rodocrosite (MnCO)₃) forms a series replacing the Faith by Mn.
• With the smithsonite (ZnCO)₃) forms a series replacing the Faith by Zn.

Habit

Typically it occurs in the form of clusters of rhombohedral crystals, of the trigonal system, whose faces appear curved or compound. It can also often be found as a dark brown granular mass or else as a massive crystalline material, with sharply curved exposed cleavage surfaces.

Formation and deposits

Very often it is found in sedimentary bed deposits mixed with some biological component, slates, clays or coal, which suggests that siderite is biogenically created It can also be found in metamorphosed sedimentary rocks forming massive crystalline masses, as the main mineral of hydrothermal deposits, as well as in pegmatites and in swamp deposits.

Uses

It is a mineral of economic importance for the extraction of iron since it contains 58.3% of iron in its pure state. It is also found in space and on satellites like the Moon or in meteorites. The exploitation was open pit, but currently it is underground, based on mines.