Which chakra does Hematite Coated Sandstone work with?

Hematite Coated Sandstone is traditionally associated with the Root chakra, the element of Earth · Fire, and the sign Aries · Capricorn.

← The Atlas

Entry № 232

Hematite Coated Sandstone

Q: What is Hematite Coated Sandstone made of?

Hematite Coated Sandstone has the chemical formula SiO₂ (quartz) cemented and stained by Fe₂O₃, crystallises in the amorphous / trigonal (quartz) system and measures 6 – 7 (Mohs) on the Mohs scale. Hematite-coated sandstone is a sedimentary rock in which quartz sand grains are cemented and stained by iron oxide (hematite and goethite) that precipitated from groundwater or coated the grains during diagenesis. The red and orange colours of many desert sandstones (including the Navajo Sandstone of the American Southwest) are due to hematite films only nanometres thick on each grain surface. The coating forms under oxidising conditions where iron-bearing solutions migrate through porous rock and precipitate Fe₂O₃ as the water evaporates.

Ferruginous Sandstone

Desert stone painted by iron.

Chakra

Root

Element

Earth · Fire

Zodiac

Aries · Capricorn

I. The Metaphysical Reading

How the stone has been held.

Hematite coated sandstone is worked with as a stone of primal landscape, held when someone needs to reconnect with the raw, unbuilt world. The iron oxide coating is said to carry the memory of ancient deserts and the slow oxidation of time.

Chakra: Root
Element: Earth · Fire
Zodiac: Aries · Capricorn
Keynote: Desert stone painted by iron.

II. The Scientific Reading

What the lattice actually does.

Hematite-coated sandstone is a sedimentary rock in which quartz sand grains are cemented and stained by iron oxide (hematite and goethite) that precipitated from groundwater or coated the grains during diagenesis. The red and orange colours of many desert sandstones (including the Navajo Sandstone of the American Southwest) are due to hematite films only nanometres thick on each grain surface. The coating forms under oxidising conditions where iron-bearing solutions migrate through porous rock and precipitate Fe₂O₃ as the water evaporates.

Formula: SiO₂ (quartz) cemented and stained by Fe₂O₃
System: Amorphous / Trigonal (quartz)
Hardness: 6 – 7 (Mohs)
Provenance: USA (Arizona, Utah), Australia, South Africa

References & Sources

Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.

Mineral Profile

Fact Sheet

Chemical Formula: SiO₂ (quartz) cemented and stained by Fe₂O₃
Crystal System: Amorphous / Trigonal (quartz)
Mohs Hardness: 6 – 7 (Mohs)
Density: 2.20 – 2.65 g/cm³
Refractive Index: 1.544 – 1.553 (quartz)
Provenance: USA (Arizona, Utah), Australia, South Africa
Color Origin: Red, orange, and brown from nanometre-thick hematite films on sand grains