Bog ore

Part of Wall with Hermai—usage of bog ore in architecture

Picture of typical iron-bearing ground water emerging as a spring. For the piano piece by Iannis Xenakis see Herma (Xenakis. In ancient Greece, before his role as protector of merchants and travelers The iron is oxidized to ferric hydroxide upon encountering the oxic environment of the surface. A large number of these springs and seeps on the flood plain provide the iron for bog iron deposits.

Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 A swamp is a Wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living Organisms It deals with the Structure and function of cellular components such as Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite (FeO(OH)). Goethite, named after the German Polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is an iron bearing oxide mineral found in soil and other low temperature environments It was discovered during the Pre-Roman Iron Age, and most Viking era iron was smelted from bog iron. The Pre-Roman Iron Age of Northern Europe ( 5th / 4th century BC - 1st century BC) designates the earliest part of the Iron Age in Scandinavia Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. Chemical reduction, or smelting, is a form of Extractive metallurgy.

Iron-bearing groundwater typically emerges as a spring. A spring is a point where Groundwater flows out of the ground and is thus where the Aquifer surface meets the ground surface The iron is oxidized to ferric hydroxide upon encountering the oxic environment of the surface. Bog ore often combines goethite, magnetite and vugs or stained quartz. Magnetite is not to be confused with Magnesite or Maghemite. Magnetite is a ferrimagnetic Mineral with chemical Vugs are small to medium-sized cavities inside rock that may be formed through a variety of processes Quartz (from German) is the most abundant Mineral in the Earth 's Continental crust (although Feldspar is more common in It is not clear whether the magnetite precipitates upon first contact with oxygen, then oxidizes to ferric compounds, or whether the ferric compounds are reduced when exposed to anoxic conditions upon burial beneath the sediment surface and reoxidized upon exhumation at the surface.

Bog iron was widely sought in colonial America. Lake Massapoag in Massachusetts was drawn down by deepening the outlet channel in a search for bog iron. Lake Massapoag is a, natural Springfed Lake located in Sharon Massachusetts. (Diana Muir, Reflections in Bullough's Pond, University Press of New England, 2000) In New Jersey, bog ore was mined and refined and used for the production of tools, wrought iron rails (many of which still grace stairs in Trenton and Camden) which do not rust like modern iron alloys. Trenton may refer to Places United States Population more than 55000 Trenton New Jersey, the state capital During the American Revolution, the iron was used for cannon balls for the American forces. In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Bog iron was also found on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is composed of the state's nine counties east of the Chesapeake Bay. The remains of a commercial smelting operation near Snow Hill are now a state and national historic site. Known as Furnace Town, it was called the Nassawango Iron Furnace after the nearby creek. The Nassawango Iron Furnace was built in 1830 by the Maryland Iron Company to produce Iron from Bog ore deposits in its vicinity The commercial furnace ran from about 1825 to 1850.

In an episode of the TV program The Worst Jobs in History, presenter Tony Robinson was shown searching for bog ore. The Worst Jobs in History is a Television series hosted by Tony Robinson on Channel 4. Dr Tony Robinson (born 15 August 1946 in Leytonstone, London) is an English Actor, broadcaster and

See also

• Limonite
• Iron ore
• Ore genesis
• Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (iron oxidizing bacteria)
• History of ferrous metallurgy

External links

• Hurstwic: Iron Production in the Norse Era
• Talzhemir's Bog Iron Page
• Bog Iron Industry in The Pinelands, New Jersey
• ironfurnaces.com - a free wiki dedicated to the preservation of iron furnaces
• Bog Iron Formation in the Nassawango Watershed, Maryland U. Limonite is an ore consisting in a mixture of hydrated Iron(III oxide-hydroxide of varying composition Iron ores are rocks and Minerals from which Metallic Iron can be economically extracted The various theories of ore genesis explain how the various types of mineral deposits form within the Earth's crust. Acidithiobacillus is a genus of Proteobacteria. The members of this genus used to belong to Thiobacillus, before they were reclassified The history of ferrous metallurgy began far back in Prehistory, most likely with the use of Iron from Meteorites The Smelting of iron in S. Geological Survey: Open-File Report 03-346
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Nassawango Furnace landmark.
• ASME PDF file with detailed reconstruction drawings of the furnace and surroundings.
• Nassawango Furnace at the Maryland Historic Trust.
• “A Brief History of Nassawango Iron”
• Furnace Town, Snow Hill, Worcester County Maryland.