Title: A Local Geological Chronicle Asteroid
Medium: Thabazimbi Detritic Hematite, Constructed & Welded with Stainless Steel & Solidified Concrete
Unframed: 440 x 80 x 50 cm
The sculpture, A Local Geological Chronicle Asteroid, represents a fun play with material. The sculpture was made from Hematite. Hematite is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth’s surface and in the shallow crust. It is an iron oxide with a chemical composition of Fe2O3. It is a common rock-forming mineral found in sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks at locations throughout the world (King 2020:1). Interestingly this quite common stone found everywhere on earth is often mistook for meteorite, referred to by geologists as a “meteorwrong” because of the hight iron content of Hematite. According to the Planetary Science Institute (2020:1) You can tell them apart by their appearance when polished. “The polished surface of magnetite looks like a polished iron meteorite but does not show the pattern of lines when etched. Hematite also shatters like a rock, whereas iron only deforms when struck. Finally, the density of magnetite is about 5.5 g/cm3, significantly less than the density of ~8 g/cm3 for iron meteorites.”
