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The process by which lodestone is created has long been an open question in geology. Only a small amount of the magnetite on the Earth is found magnetized as lodestone. Ordinary magnetite is attracted to a magnetic field as iron and steel are, but does not tend to become magnetized itself; it has too low a magnetic coercivity.
Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe 2+ Fe 3+ 2 O 4. It is one of the oxides of iron , and is ferrimagnetic ; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself.
Magnetite crystals with a cubic habit are rare but have been found at Balmat, St. Lawrence County, New York, [47] [48] and at Långban, Sweden. [49] This habit may be a result of crystallization in the presence of cations such as zinc. [50] Magnetite can also be found in fossils due to biomineralization and are referred to as magnetofossils. [51]
Ancient people learned about magnetism from lodestones (or magnetite) which are naturally magnetized pieces of iron ore.The word magnet was adopted in Middle English from Latin magnetum "lodestone", ultimately from Greek μαγνῆτις [λίθος] (magnētis [lithos]) [1] meaning "[stone] from Magnesia", [2] a place in Anatolia where lodestones were found (today Manisa in modern-day Turkey).
Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various species. Within a mineral species there may be variation in physical properties or minor amounts of impurities that are recognized by mineralogists or wider society as a mineral variety.
Rock magnetism is the study of the magnetic properties of rocks, sediments and soils. The field arose out of the need in paleomagnetism to understand how rocks record the Earth's magnetic field. This remanence is carried by minerals, particularly certain strongly magnetic minerals like magnetite (the main source of magnetism in lodestone).
Iron(II,III) oxide, or black iron oxide, is the chemical compound with formula Fe 3 O 4.It occurs in nature as the mineral magnetite.It is one of a number of iron oxides, the others being iron(II) oxide (FeO), which is rare, and iron(III) oxide (Fe 2 O 3) which also occurs naturally as the mineral hematite.
Magnetic mineralogy is the study of the magnetic properties of minerals. The contribution of a mineral to the total magnetism of a rock depends strongly on the type of magnetic order or disorder. Magnetically disordered minerals (diamagnets and paramagnets) contribute a weak magnetism and have no remanence.