Click here to get to the Hematite specimens

Or read more about the iron mine on Elba Island below...

Hematite was long the primary resource being exploited on this island.  For over 3000 years people mined and smelted iron from the large hematite ores of Elba Island.  There are numerous outcrops of iron rich hematite all over the area around Rio Marina.  We visited the mine located just on the outskirts to the north of the town.  The vast majority of hematite here is massive or poorly crystallized however some rather remarkable crystallized specimens have been found from this venerable deposit.  The day before we visited the mine there had been some decent rainfall in the area.  As a result the humid air carried the unmistakable smell of metal.  There were numerous places where jarosite and iron rich alum had precipitated at the surface.

Also found in the mine are pyrite and quartz.   I saw some large rocks in excess of 20 cm across composed of solid pyrite.  Some of the quartz found in the mine is amethsytine. The following are some shots of the mine as it looks today.
 
 

Upon reaching the property the first sign encountered is this one. It is clearly written in several languages.  Unfortunately the only language not represented was rockhoundese so I took this to mean "Welcome. Please come on in!

Click here to download an mpg of the moment where we entered the mine.
 
 

View looking to the south.  Note the large boulder that is essentially 100% hematite.

Here's a close up of the 10 foot boulder of hematite.

This is a view looking northward opposite of from the vicinity of the large hematite boulder.  Note that the steel grey looking floor of the mine is all fine grained hematite!

Another view within the mine looking in a northerly direction.

Another view within the mine this one pointed in a slightly more easterly direction.

Another view within the mine. This one is in the NE corner of the mine.  All of the grey is massive or crystalline hematite.

This view looking southwest provides a small glimpse of several of the mines in the vicinity of Rio Marina.

This is a view of the iron ore loading track.  Ore was loaded from the track to waiting barges and then floated to Piombino where it was smelted into pig iron.  The last load of iron ore was shipped out from this point in 1981.

This is a view of Rio Marina from the north and looking in a south westerly direction.  It is a very peaceful city today and there is also a small mineral musem with representative specimens from the vaious mines and mineral resources of Elba Island.

Specimens from this locality will be uploaded after my return from Europe around the 5th of July.
 
 

Click here to see the 2000 Saint-Marie aux Mines show report The Official Sainte-Marie aux Mines Show Website