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Goethite
Goethite is oxide-hydroxide (iron), FeO(OH). In the hand, it rates 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale, and it runs dark brown and yellow-brown. Brown botryoidal iron mineral with a yellow-brown streak, silky radiating fibers inside the bubbly crusts, sometimes wearing oil-slick iridescence. Everywhere iron rusts: bog ores, gossans; showy specimens from Colorado (USA), Morocco, Germany, Cornwall.
The geology.
Goethite carries the formula FeO(OH). It belongs to the orthorhombic system. Its listing category is oxide-hydroxide (iron).
It sits at 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale. The surface reads adamantine to dull; silky fibrous; sometimes iridescent. Light behaviour is opaque. Specific gravity runs 3.3 to 4.3. The streak is yellow-brown (ochre). It breaks with perfect cleavage one direction; fibrous splintery.
Brown botryoidal iron mineral with a yellow-brown streak, silky radiating fibers inside the bubbly crusts, sometimes wearing oil-slick iridescence.
It turns up mostly as botryoidal crusts, fibrous radiating masses, stalactitic forms or inclusions in quartz.
The origins.
Everywhere iron rusts: bog ores, gossans; showy specimens from Colorado (USA), Morocco, Germany, Cornwall.
On value, the database notes: common; iridescent and included-in-quartz forms are mid-range.
Traditional associations.
In energy work traditions, associated with grounding through grief and finding focus.
This is lore, and we label it as lore. The measurable facts are further up the page.
Spotting the real thing.
Brown botryoidal iron mineral with a yellow-brown streak, silky radiating fibers inside the bubbly crusts, sometimes wearing oil-slick iridescence.
Iridescent 'rainbow hematite' coatings are usually goethite/turgite films, natural, though often oversold as rare.
| Looks like | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Hematite | Hematite streaks red-brown; goethite streaks yellow-brown, the streak plate decides |
| Limonite | Limonite is the loose mix-name; firm crystalline crusts earn the goethite label |
| Cassiterite | Cassiterite is far heavier with pale streak |
At-home tests.
A loupe and a window seat settle most questions about goethite. No workshop required.
| Test | What you should see |
|---|---|
| By eye | Yellow-brown ochre streak |
| By eye | Silky fibrous interior on broken botryoids |
| Magnet check | Moderately heavy; non-magnetic |
Anything that scratches, burns or dissolves the piece is a lab job. Get it appraised rather than testing it apart.
Care & handling.
At 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale it handles careful wear but scratches against quartz and dust. Store it separately and take rings off before rough work.
It breaks with perfect cleavage one direction; fibrous splintery, which is worth knowing before you set it or drop it.
Warm water and a soft cloth clean almost everything. Ultrasonic tanks, steamers and household cleaners are where pieces get ruined.
A deeper look.
Extended detail on composition, sourcing, authentication and market value.
The physical record
The formula on record is FeO(OH). Crystal system: Orthorhombic. Specific gravity: 3.3 to 4.3. Streak: Yellow-brown (ochre). Cleavage and fracture: Perfect cleavage one direction; fibrous splintery.
How it reaches the market
Everywhere iron rusts: bog ores, gossans; showy specimens from Colorado (USA), Morocco, Germany, Cornwall.
What it gets confused with
Hematite: Hematite streaks red-brown; goethite streaks yellow-brown, the streak plate decides. Limonite: Limonite is the loose mix-name; firm crystalline crusts earn the goethite label. Cassiterite: Cassiterite is far heavier with pale streak.
What it is worth
Common; iridescent and included-in-quartz forms are mid-range.
Where buyers get caught
Iridescent 'rainbow hematite' coatings are usually goethite/turgite films, natural, though often oversold as rare.
One more thing
Named for the poet Goethe, an avid mineral collector whose 19,000-specimen cabinet outlived his verses in at least one science.
An education-first guide.
No product links here. We do not sell goethite, and a guide that only covers our own shelves would not be much of a guide.
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