| Name: | Hematite |
| Derivation: | From "haimatos" (Greek) blood - because one form is the colour of blood |
| Formula: | Fe2O3 |
| Description: | There are several different formas of Hematite. There is the dull red, opaque, dull, botryoidal (or blobby) form. There is a very shiny, dark metal (which is sometimes a crystal), and there is Rainbow Hematite, which shimers with colour. |
Hematite is an important iron ore. It is an important pigment as well. Known as "red ochre", it has been used for cave paintings, painting faces and bodies throughout the world, paint pigment, and even modern lip-stick!
Iron was the metal of Mars, the Roman god of war, because weapons were made of iron, and red Hematite was the colour of blood. The planet Mars is red, and it has been discovered in modern times that this is because of the iron compounds on the surface of Mars.
