Magnetite Italy Raw Minerals Stones Rocks Collecting

Magnetite 147.4 gr - cm 6.2 x 4.6 x 3.5 Raw Minerals Stones Rocks for Collection, only a piece, as in photo.

Magnetite (Fe2+Fe3+2O4[1][2][3]), belonging to the spinel group, is the iron ore with the highest iron content (72.5%) that can be used industrially. It is also the mineral with the most intense magnetic properties existing in nature.
The most common crystalline habitus is the octahedral one followed by the rhombododecahedral one.
Magnetite is formed when iron hydroxide is oxidized in the presence of water. It represents the main accessory mineral of basaltic rocks and is also common in metamorphic rocks of basic magmatic or volcano-sedimentary derivation. It is also a by-product of the processing of magnesium and iron silicates. The main producing countries are Russia, Brazil, Liberia, Mauritania, Norway, Sweden. Italian deposits are found in Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta, Sardinia, on the island of Elba and in Sicily.
In Nature it occurs in black, opaque crystals, or in granular or compact masses. It is present in small quantities in the human body, where it is located between the nose and the eyes, within the ethmoid bone. Magnetite is easily recognizable inside old iron and cast iron radiators and is responsible for the dark black color of the water that circulates there.
Magnetite is the oldest known magnetic material: it was in fact already known to the ancient Greeks and takes its name from the city of Magnesia, where it was found in large quantities. The term "magnetism" therefore comes from the name of the mineral, not vice versa. Magnetite is a ferromagnetic material. In particular, it is a mineral with ferrimagnetic behavior (ferrimagnetism).