Hematite with Quartz

specimen number:
1052698

location:
Pilbara, Western Australia, Australia

description:
A cut and polished slab what is often called Tiger iron.

Tiger iron, a visually striking variety of banded iron formation (BIF) found exclusively in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is an altered sedimentary rock composed of alternating, highly contrasting layers of golden tiger's eye quartz, silver-grey metallic hematite, and deep red chert or jasper. Geologically, this unique material originated approximately 2.5 to 3.0 billion years ago during the Archean Eon, when massive deposits of iron oxides and silica precipitated out of primordial oceans to form the extensive Brockman Iron Formation. Subsequent regional tectonic pressure, deep structural burial, and hydrothermal fluid circulation caused the metasomatic replacement of early fibrous crocidolite asbestos into microcrystalline silica, creating the brilliant chatoyant bands of golden tiger's eye that characterize the rock. Historically, commercial extraction of tiger iron has been conducted through small-scale open-pit quarrying and surface trenching rather than deep underground mining, with the most active decorative and lapidary stone operations centered around the Ord Range near Port Hedland from the 1960s through the late twentieth century. While massive, highly mechanized corporate open-pits in the region focus strictly on extracting raw iron ore for global steel manufacturing, small independent operators have intermittently quarried tiger iron for high-end carving and architectural uses in waves continuing through 2026, ensuring that pristine specimens remain widely celebrated for their exceptional polish, extreme geological antiquity, and distinct Australian provenance.

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