Goethite

specimen number:
1052476

location:
Harzberg Mine, Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

description:
Neat reflective deep red platy crystallized goethite ore hematite across the top of a goethite matrix. Possible that dufrenite is present as well. In good condition. The specimen comes with an antique label as shown at the end of the video dating this to the very early 20th century.

The Harzberg Mine, located near Altenkirchen in Rhineland Palatinate, Germany, is part of a historic mining area within the Rhenish Massif that was worked primarily for iron ore. Mining activity in the region dates back several centuries, with most development occurring during the 18th and 19th centuries when underground and small surface operations extracted iron rich material from sedimentary deposits. The geology consists of Devonian age rocks that include iron bearing horizons and lenses formed through sedimentary and diagenetic processes, later modified by structural deformation. Iron minerals such as hematite and related species were concentrated in these zones and worked through shafts and adits following the ore bodies. The Harzberg Mine represents a typical example of smaller scale iron mining in western Germany, where locally developed deposits supported regional industry before declining as larger and more economical sources became available elsewhere.

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