ilmenite

[ il-muh-nahyt ]

noun

1. a very common black mineral, iron titanate, FeTiO 3 , occurring in crystals but more commonly massive.

ilmenite

/ ˈɪlmɪˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a black mineral found in igneous rocks as layered deposits and in veins. It is the chief source of titanium. Composition: iron titanium oxide. Formula: FeTiO 3 . Crystal structure: hexagonal (rhombohedral)

ilmenite

/ ĭl′mə-nīt′ /

1. A lustrous black to brownish rhombohedral mineral that is an ore of titanium. Ilmenite occurs in igneous rocks and is one of the principal dark minerals observed in beach sands. Chemical formula: FeTiO 3 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of ilmenite¹

1820–30; after the Ilmen Mountains ( Russian Ilʾménskie góry ) in the southern Urals, where it was first identified; -ite ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ilmenite¹

C19: from Ilmen, mountain range in the southern Urals, Russia, + -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Models suggest that the last dregs of the magma ocean crystallized into dense minerals including ilmenite, a mineral containing titanium and iron.

From Science Daily

Rio Tinto's South African subsidiary Richards Bay Minerals extracts and refines heavy mineral sands and produces ilmenite, rutile, and zircon at its site in northern KwaZulu-Natal province.

From Reuters

He pointed to Bluejay’s plans to begin mining ilmenite, an ore that contains titanium, from a site hundreds of miles north of Narsaq.

From New York Times

Emerman and Stella Swanson, a radioactivity expert hired by the Andrew Lees Trust, say the ilmenite extraction process can concentrate radionuclides.

From Reuters

Danish and Greenlandic firms have bought stakes in the ilmenite mine.

From BBC