Not a mineral · Iron oxides
Limonite
FeO(OH)·nH2O (mixture)
Limonite is a field term, not an IMA species, for earthy yellow-brown mixtures of goethite, lepidocrocite and other hydrated iron oxides. Limonite pseudomorphs after pyrite cubes (Spain, Utah) and 'limonite' box-work concretions are common collector items; the label should read 'goethite after pyrite' where the mineralogy is known. It is the stain on almost every weathered fossil.
| Formula | FeO(OH)·nH2O (mixture) |
|---|---|
| IMA status | not a mineral |
| Mohs hardness | 4–5.5 |
| Group | Iron oxides |
| Type locality | None |
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q193565
- Wikipedia: limonite
- Mindat: Limonite
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Limonite" (Mineral). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/minerals/limonite. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-limonite,
title = {Limonite},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/minerals/limonite}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.