Hematite with Quartz

specimen number:
2072292

location:
Western Australia, Australia

description:
An attractive slabbed section through what is called Tiger Iron. These rotating bands of quartz and hematite. Polished on one face.

Western Australia's Banded Iron Formations (BIF), particularly within the Hamersley Group of the Pilbara Craton, represent some of the most significant geological structures on Earth. Geologically, these formations were deposited in marine basins between 2.4 and 2.7 billion years ago during the Great Oxidation Event, consisting of alternating layers of iron-rich minerals, primarily hematite or magnetite, and silica-rich red quartz known as jasper or chert. These striking, ribbon-like bands formed as dissolved iron in the oceans reacted with oxygen produced by early cyanobacteria, precipitating onto the seafloor in repetitive cycles. Historically, large-scale mining and quarrying of these formations began in the 1960s following the lifting of a federal iron ore export embargo in 1960. Major operations, such as those at Mount Tom Price and the Whaleback mine, commenced in 1966 and have expanded continuously to meet global industrial demand. As of 2026, Western Australia remains a global leader in iron ore production, with the massive BIF sequences providing both a critical industrial resource and a profound record of the early evolution of the atmosphere and biosphere of the planet.

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