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Ilmenite
Ilmenite - Mineral Properties and Uses |
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What is Ilmenite? |
Ilmenite is an iron titanium oxide and the primary ore of titanium. It is a common accessory mineral in igneous rocks such as gabbro, diorite and anorthosite. It is also forms in veins and pegmatites. Most of the commercially produced ilmenite is recovered from sands that have formed from the weathering of ilmenite-bearing rocks. The ilmenite sand is recovered by dredging and processing the alluvial deposits. |
Uses |
Ilmenite is the primary ore of titanium. It is also used in the manufacture of titanium dioxide for paint pigments. Titanium is used to manufacture a wide variety of metal parts where light weight and very high strength are needed. Examples include: aircraft parts, artificial joints for humans and sporting equipment such as bicycle frames. Titanium is also used in a number of high-performance alloys. |
Color |
black |
Streak |
black |
Luster |
metallic, submetallic |
Diaphaneity |
opaque |
Cleavage |
none |
Hardness |
5.5 - 6 |
Specific Gravity |
4.7 - 4.8 |
Distinguishing
Characteristics |
streak, weakly magnetic |
Crystal System |
hexagonal |
Chemical Classification |
oxide |
Chemical Composition |
iron titanium oxide , FeTiO3, sometimes has significant magnesium and manganese substituting for the iron to yield a composition of (Fe, Mg, Mn)TiO3 |
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Ilmenite from St-Urbain, Quebec, Canada.
Specimen is approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) across.
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Ilmenite from Kragero, Norway.
Specimen is approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) across.
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Ilmenite sand from Melbourne, Florida.
Specimens are grain size.
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Ilmenite from the Normanville, South Australia.
Specimen is approximately 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) across.
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Mineral photographs that appear on this page with a Geology.com copyright mark are property of Geology.com and may not be used beyond our website. If you like these photos and would like to share them with others please link to this page or email its URL. The photos were taken and composed by Ann Bryant.
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