Question

Also called lodestone, the mineral magnetite is the most powerful what?

Answer 1

natural permanent magnet

Some materials are natural permanent magnets. The most magnetic material in nature is the mineral magnetite, also called lodestone  see Figure below  . The magnetic domains of magnetite naturally align with Earths axis. The picture on the left shows a chunk of magnetite attracting small bits of iron. The magnetite spoon compass shown on the right dates back about 2000 years and comes from China. The handle of the spoon always points north. Clearly, the magnetic properties of magnetite have been recognized for thousands of years.