Physical properties
Habit: tabullar, lamellar, massive.
Color: iron black.
Diaphaneity: opaque.
Luster: submetallic.
Streak: brownish black.
Fracture: subconchoidal.
Cleavage: none.
Chemical: insol. in HCl, or HNO3 but attacked by boiling H2SO4. Slightly antiferromagnetic
with a specific magnetic susceptibility of +10
–6 m
3.kg
–1. Nonfusible with a melting point of
1365–1470°C. Semiconductive with an electrical resistivity ranging from 0.001 to 4 Ω.m.
Deposits: massive hard rock hemo-ilmenite deposits in ultramafic igneous rocks (e.g.,
anorthosites, peridotites, gabbros, diorites, syenites) such as the large deposits of Allard
lake (Québec, Canada) or Tellnes (Norway). Sedimentary deposits as heavy mineral sands
in South Africa (Richards Bay), Australia, India and Brazil.
Uses
Titanium paints and enamel, source of titanium metal, welding rods, titanium alloys, ceramics.
Definition
Iron-black mineral, black to brownish-red streak, submetallic luster, resembles magnetite in appearance but is readily distinguished by feeble magnetic character, d 4.5–5, Mohs hardness 5–6.
