Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
trigonalcommonOxides
Ilmenite
FeTiO3
The image displays a dark, opaque mineral with a submetallic to metallic luster, typically exhibiting tabular or platy crystal forms and an iron-black to steel-gray color.
Ilmenite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
5Crystal System
trigonalLuster
vitreousStreak Color
black to brownish redCleavage
noneFracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
4.7Colors
iron-black, steel-gray, brownish-blackTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Miass (Miask), Ilmen Mts, Chelyabinsk Oblast', Southern Urals, Urals Region, RussiaMineral Group
OxidesUses
titanium ore, pigment production, alloys, aerospace industryAssociated Minerals
magnetite, hematite, rutile, apatite, plagioclase, pyroxene, olivineRarity
commonGeological Context
Ilmenite is a common accessory mineral in mafic igneous rocks like gabbros and anorthosites, and also occurs in metamorphic rocks and as a heavy mineral in placer deposits. It forms primarily through magmatic crystallization.
