Magnetite

specimen number:
2062402

location:
Iron Springs, Iron Co., Utah, USA

description:
A sharp lustrous large crystal of octahedral magnetite 3.0 cm across coming off matrix. This is in good condition and quite choice for the species and locality.

The Iron Springs mining district in Iron County, Utah, was discovered in 1849, with early pioneer iron-making efforts beginning in the 1850s. Commercial-scale open-pit production formally began in 1923, experiencing major peaks during World War II and subsequent decades before entering intermittent operations and ultimate closure in 2014. Geologically, the district is situated along the eastern edge of the Basin and Range province, where high-grade iron ore deposits—primarily magnetite and hematite—formed as replacement skarns in Jurassic limestone. These mineral replacements were driven by mid-Tertiary quartz monzonite porphyry intrusions and laccoliths, including Iron Mountain, Granite Mountain, and Three Peaks.

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