Selected Virginia Minerals (Part 6)
Limonite
• Limonite is a common weathering product of iron-rich rocks in the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateaus.
• Much of Virginia’s former iron industry depended on limonitic ores in the Valley and Ridge.
• In southern Pulaski County, limonite is still mined for pigments. This mine is the only place in the United States where burnt sienna is produced.
Limonite at the Hoover Color Corporation Mine (Photograph by Karen Cecil)
Limonite is identified by its yellow color. The limonite-rich soil at the Hoover Color Corporation Mine in Pulaski County is mined for pigments.