Red streak

Red streak

There are several minerals that have a red streak. Hematite is an ore mineral of iron, and its name comes from the Greek word meaning 'blood'. It is often found as a reddish-brown colour and its streak is also a rusty red.

Minerals called realgar and erythrite are reddish in colour and also have red or pink streaks. Cinnabar is a red ore mineral of mercury. Although we now know that mercury is poisonous, it was once used as a red pigment in paint. Hold your mouse over the pictures to find out the name of each mineral.