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)
tetragonaluncommonOxides
Rutile
TiO2
The image displays reddish-brown to black, prismatic, and often striated crystals of rutile, some appearing needle-like, embedded within or associated with a matrix that includes hematite.
Rutile Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
6.5Crystal System
tetragonalLuster
vitreousStreak Color
brownish-redCleavage
good on {110} and {100}Fracture
subconchoidal to unevenSpecific Gravity
4.23Colors
reddish-brown, black, yellow, red, violet, bluishTransparency
opaque to translucentType Locality
Cavradi gorge, Curnera Valley, Tujetsch (Tavetsch), Vorderrhein Valley, Grischun (Grisons; Graubünden), SwitzerlandMineral Group
OxidesUses
titanium ore, pigment, gemstoneAssociated Minerals
hematiteRarity
uncommonGeological Context
Rutile is a common accessory mineral found in various igneous and metamorphic rocks, particularly high-grade metamorphic rocks like gneisses and schists, and sometimes in pegmatites and hydrothermal veins. It is also found as a detrital mineral in placer deposits due to its high specific gravity and resistance to weathering.
