contains few impurities or other metal oxides. Masa ironsand was used for manufacturing wrought iron and steel, used in everything from tools to cookware. Ironsand was used extensively in Japan for iron production, especially for traditional Japanese swords. Akome ironsand is found mixed with sand made from an igneous rock called diorite. The magnetite in the sand contains often greater than 5% titanium dioxide, which lowers the smelting temperature. The akome ironsand is used in the tatara to make pig iron, which is then used to make items out of cast iron (nabegane). In the manufacture of steel, the akome was added to the tatara during the initial stage of smelting, acting as a binder and catalyst for steel production, upon which the masa ironsand was poured during further stages. When smelted for pig iron, 1000 pounds of sand (~ 450 kilograms or 120 kanme) typically yielded about 200 pounds of pig iron, 20 pounds of steel, and 70 pounds of slag. When smelted for steel, 1000 pounds of sand yielded about 100 pounds of steel, 100 pounds of slag, and 90 pounds of pig iron. Slag and pig iron that were not suitable for use were then melted together to form wrought iron, of which 1000 pounds mixed produced about 500 pounds of iron. Europe Ironsand is found many places in Europe, although it was rarely used for smelting. It is often found in association with volcanic or basaltic sands. For example, it is found in Tenerife, Spain, where the magnetite grains contain a very high amount of titanium and other impurities. The typical composition is 79.2% iron oxide, 14.6% titanium dioxide, 1.6% manganese oxide, 0.8% silica and aluminum oxide, and trace amounts of chromium. It can also be found in the River Dee, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, containing 85.3% iron oxide, 9.5% titanium dioxide, 1.0% arsenic, and 1.5% silica and aluminum oxide. New Zealand Ironsand occurs extensively on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. The sand makes up a large portion of the black-sand beaches on the North Island, as well as the surrounding sea floor. The magnetite in the sand contains fairly large quantities of titanium, and is sometimes referred to as titanomagnetite. It was produced from volcanic eruptions that occurred in the Pleistocene epoch, and is formed due to the oceanic erosion of the volcanic rock which is washed ashore by the waves to form