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www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals A-E |
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Titanite |
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Name
Titanite
Chemistry
CaTiSiO5
Uses
As a rare gemstone or mineral specimen and as a source of titanium. Titanium is a pigment that is used in oil paints.
Color
It has a variety of colors. The different colors have been seen. Brown, green, yellow, rose-red or black and even colorless.
Hardness
5-5.5
Luster
Adamantine, resinous
Specific gravity
3.48
Streak
Reddish to white
Crystals
It occurs as well-formed fine crystals with flattened wedge shaped habit. When the two crystals twin it forms a shape like an arrowhead or a deflated rugby ball, or fish-tail twins. It can make stunning crystals for a well balanced collection. It can also be prismatic.
Accompanied by:
Rutile, albite, andularia, Chlorite, anatase, calcite, quartz, zircon and feldspars
It is a Calcium Titanium silicate also known as Sphene. It forms wedge-shaped crystals and massive, compact and lamellar forms are also found.
It occurs as an accessory mineral in igneous rocks; in schists, gneisses and other metamorphic rocks.
The name came from the titanium content of the mineral.
Twinning is common in titanite. Soem of the best examples come from Pakistan. These are almost always twinned.
In southern Africa is relatively scarce. We get sphene from Rooisand in Namibia and I also discovered another occurence at Jan Coetzee mine. In the Northern Cape it may form crystals up to 10 cm on edge. From Pilgrims Rest near Mount Anderson we had crystals up to 8cm long. Then I have heard of occurences at Pilansberg.
There are other occurences in Namibia such as the farm Tantus. Here they were up to 9 cm in large attractive green crystals of gem quality.
The Kransberg mine in Namibia also psoduced titanite specimens. In Ais it occured in a skarn deposit.
