Magnetite

by-nc-sa

: Drift W

ord

s

by-nc:T

he T

ardig

rad

e

Magnetite sands eroded from

magnetite bearing rock,

and can be economically

viable sources of iron ore.

by-nc-sa

: stua

ndg

ravy

One of the main sources of magnetite, and hence iron ore, is in the Banded Iron Formations of North America and Australia.

by-

nc-s

a: R

on

Sch

ott

Iron mined in the upper Midwest allowed the U.S. forces to produce the planes,

submarines, ships, and tanks needed to win during World War II.

by-nc-n

d: C

orm

ac P

urtill

by:

Na

t'l M

use

um

of

He

alth

& M

ed

icin

e

by-

nc-n

d: J

0n

ny_

t

by-nc-n

d: M

ary B

ing

ham

Magnetite and hematite are the main iron ores. After

mining, the ores are processed into iron or steel and then made into cars,

trucks, ships, and the structural support of buildings

and highways.

by-

nc:

farla

ne

by-nd

: Chris S

chlo

sser

Magnetite is made into IRON and STEEL,

the backbone of our society.

Humans use magnetite to make iron for weapons, railroad lines, and

skyscrapers.

by:

To

ma

s H

ellb

erg

by-

nc:

Sté

ph

an

e B

éru

bé

b

y: Dre

w G

era

ets

by-sa

: ha

ns s

Magnetite, also know as lodestone, is the

source of the modern compass.

by-nc-sa

: Le

oL

30

The needle in a compass is iron that was magnetized by being struck against magnetite.

It aligns itself with the Earth’s magnetic field.

US

GS

by: W

ind

ell H. O

skay, w

ww

.evilm

ad

scien

tist.com

You can make a simple

compass.

Embed a magnet in a foam tray, and float in a bucket of water. The north end of the magnet will

point to magnetic north.

Compass invention made sea navigation, commerce and warfare possible.

by-nc: Ig

uan

a Jo

by-

nc-s

a: p

en

3ya

by-nc-sa

: Ma

ry Ha

rrsch

Long before the compass was invented, Iron Age tools and weapons were made from iron ore like

magnetite.

by:

We

ndy

& A

nd

rew

McG

rego

r, w

ww

.flic

kr.c

om

/ph

oto

s/in

dig

og

oat

b

y-nc-sa: M

ary H

arrsch

by-sa

: Om

eg

atron

One of the most common forms of magnets today, ceramic magnets are made in molds from powders of iron ore and other materials.

These are the magnets that are in speakers.

by-

nc:

ath

en

a k

ayb

y-nc-nd

: Th

reeD

ee

912

by-sa

: Izzard

Iron filings are used to dust for invisible fingerprints. The wand has a magnet in the handle which picks up filings, and when it is pulled away the filings fall. The fingerprint oils hold the filings.

This fMRI, a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine, uses magnets (or electromagnets) to learn about brain function.

by-

nc-n

d:M

acR

on

in47

by-nc-sa

: na

ts

This is what happens if you put a magnet near a computer screen.

by-nc-sa

: spike

551

51

This could wreck your screen. Do not

do it.

close up of CRT screen

by-sa

: ale

xik

Magnetite in a meteorite raised hopes of life on Mars.

Some bacteria align themselves to the Earth’s magnetic field. These bacteria precipitate chains of magnetic crystal in their cells, like below.

NA

SA

NASA

When NASA scientists looked at a meteorite from Mars, they found chains of magnetite (see left) that looked similar to chains produced only by living organisms. Unfortunately, similar magnetite chains were created inorganically not long after.

Magnetite

by-nc-sa

: Drift W

ord

s

media rights

Many of the photos in this presentation were obtained through Flickr and Wikipedia.

Funded by FIPSE and by the University of Minnesota. Compiled for Dr. Kent Kirkby, Department of Geology and Geophysics, by Kate Rosok, 2007. Each displayed image

retains its original media rights. For educational purposes only; not to be used commercially.

public domain (none)

© Copyright. All rights reserved

by-nc-sa

by

by-nd

by-sa

by-nc-ndCre

ativ

e C

omm

ons

Lice

nses

GNU GNU Free Documentation License

Our notation description