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Depending on the environmental conditions present at the time of their formation, concretions can be created by either concentric or pervasive growth. [11] [12] In concentric growth, the concretion grows as successive layers of mineral precipitate around a central core. This process results in roughly spherical concretions that grow with time.
Similar to the marine nodules, concretion layers are defined based on iron and manganese content as well as their combination. [2] High iron content nodules appear a red or brown color, while high manganese content appears black or grey. [2] The dominant metal oxide is related to the elements enriched in the nodule.
Goethite is an iron oxyhydroxide containing ferric iron. It is the main component of rust and bog iron ore. Goethite's hardness ranges from 5.0 to 5.5 on the Mohs Scale, and its specific gravity varies from 3.3 to 4.3. The mineral forms prismatic needle-like crystals ("needle ironstone" [3]) but is more typically massive. [2]
Iron is stored in many organisms in the form of ferritin, which is a ferrous oxide encased in a solubilizing protein sheath. [ 10 ] Species of bacteria , including Shewanella oneidensis , Geobacter sulfurreducens and Geobacter metallireducens , use iron oxides as terminal electron acceptors .
Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides , commonly goethite (FeO(OH)).
Banded iron formation from the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. A typical banded iron formation consists of repeated, thin layers (a few millimeters to a few centimeters in thickness) of silver to black iron oxides, either magnetite (Fe 3 O 4) or hematite (Fe 2 O 3), alternating with bands of iron-poor chert, often red in color, of similar thickness.
Ironstone (sandstone with iron oxides) from the Mississippian Breathitt Formation, Mile Marker 166, I-64, Kentucky. Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially.
Limonite (/ ˈ l aɪ m ə ˌ n aɪ t /) is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO(OH)·nH 2 O, although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxide can vary quite widely.