The black-sand beaches on the western side of the North Island are rich in titanomagnetite – a magnetic variety of iron oxide that also contains some titanium. The grains of titanomagnetite are strongly attracted to the poles of a magnet, as the picture shows. Large magnets are used as part of the industrial process to extract titanomagnetite grains from non-magnetic material, which is returned to the beach.
Using this item
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
by Alastair McLean
This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.