Siderite

Although spathic (carbonate) iron ores, such as siderite, have been economically important for steel production, they are far from ideal as an ore.

Their hydrothermal mineralisation tends to form them as small ore lenses, often following steeply dipping bedding planes. This makes them not amenable to opencast working, and increases the cost of working them by mining with horizontal stopes. As the individual ore bodies are small, it may also be necessary to duplicate or relocate the pit head machinery, winding engine and pumping engine, between these bodies as each is worked out. This makes mining the ore an expensive proposition compared to typical ironstone or haematite opencasts.

Siderite is commonly found in hydrothermal veins, and is associated with barite, fluorite, galena, and others. It is also a common diagenetic mineral in shales and sandstones, where it sometimes forms concretions, which can encase three-dimensionally preserved fossils. In sedimentary rocks, siderite commonly forms at shallow burial depths and its elemental composition is often related to the depositional environment of the enclosing sediments. In addition, a number of recent studies have used the oxygen isotopic composition of sphaerosiderite (a type associated with soils) as a proxy for the isotopic composition of meteoric water shortly after deposition.

Siderite can be used as an ore for iron, though it is only found in a few places in the world. Often, it is processed into a form called "pig iron" that is extremely strong and heat resistant, making it useful to create furnaces. When ground into a powder, it can also be used to create brown pigments.

It takes its name from the Greek word σίδηρος sideros, "iron". It is a valuable iron mineral, since it is 48% iron and contains no sulfur or phosphorus.

Siderite is believed to provide positive energy and can help enhance one's career and provide stability in employment. It works on all of the chakras and is said to enrich every aspect of the mind, body and spirit. Carry it in your pocket to keep all the chakras aligned.