Goethite/Haematite, Merehead quarry.

Goethite/Haematite, Merehead quarry.

Goethite, a-FeO(OH) and haematite, Fe2O3 are both iron minerals, and are quite difficult to identify from colour alone, because both of them can be found in the same colour range. Haematite, however is more likely to have red colouration. They can be distinguished by crystal form, but unfortunately there are no crystals on this specimen, which is from Merehead quarry in the Mendip hills in Somerset. The quarry was renamed in the mid 1970s as the Torr works, so this specimen was collected before the mid 1970s.