Iron

specimen number:
2072224

location:
Hungtukun, Taymyr, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

description:
A cut and lightly polished slab with native iron scattered throughout.

The Hungtukun area, situated on the Taymyr Peninsula in the Krasnoyarsk Krai of Russia, is home to one of the world's most remarkable occurrences of terrestrial native iron. Geologically, these deposits are associated with the massive Siberian Traps large igneous province, specifically within basaltic intrusions where magma interacted with carbon-rich sedimentary rocks like coal or bitumen. This intense reduction process allowed iron to precipitate in its native metallic state rather than as an oxide. The native iron occurs as disseminated grains, irregular masses, and occasionally as large "boulders" weighing several tons, often found in association with cohenite and graphite. Historically, while the existence of iron in the region was known to indigenous peoples and early explorers, scientific and systematic exploration of the Hungtukun basaltic flows surged during the Soviet era in the mid-20th century, particularly from the 1960s through the 1980s. Unlike standard industrial iron mines, the site is not a major source for commercial steel production due to its remote Arctic location, but it remains a site of immense scientific interest and a source of rare specimens for mineralogical research and specialized collectors.

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