Hematite is slightly magnetic, so you must use an earth magnet to find it.
Hematite is a type of iron oxide that's commonly used in industry to make iron. Silvery gray hematite, known as spectacular hematite, is commonly used in jewelry. This mineral is also popular among rock and mineral collectors. Hematite is most commonly found in dry lake and river beds or alongside streams and rivers. According to the Images of Nature website, hematite is most commonly found in Colorado, Missouri, Wyoming and the Great Lakes region, including Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania and regions of Canada.
Instructions
1. Learn to recognize hematite. Consult a rock hunter's field guide to view images of the various forms of hematite. Hematite can vary in color and shape, ranging from a rusty red that's mixed with gray particles to a metallic solid gray.
2. Attach an earth magnet, capable of picking up at least 50 pounds, to the metal tip of a ski pole. Earth magnets are extremely strong, so it will adhere to the metal ski pole tip with ease.
3. Walk along dry river beds and alongside rivers and streams in the Great Lakes region and other places where hematite is commonly found. Hold the tip of the ski pole an inch or two off the ground and sweep the pole back and forth, just as you would sweep with a metal detector.
4. Remove and examine rocks that jump up to meet the earth magnet. Hematite is dense, so it often feels heavier than expected. Examine the stone's color and appearance. If necessary, compare the findings to the hematite photographs in your field guide.
5. Scrape the suspected hematite over a porcelain streak plate. Hematite will leave a rusty brown streak.
6. Put the suspected hematite stones under a bright desk lamp when you get home and use a Mohs hardness test kit to scrape the surface of each specimen. Hematite ranks at approximately 5.5 on the hardness scale, so it will only affected by scrapers that rank above 5.5 on the scale.
Tags: commonly found, earth magnet, beds alongside, commonly used, field guide, Great Lakes, Great Lakes region