Titanite Mineral Data

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General Titanite Information

Chemical Formula:

CaTiSiO5

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 197.76 gm

Calcium 19.25 % Ca 26.94 % CaO

La,Ce,Pr,Nd,Sm, 3.64 % RE 4.25 % REE₂O₃

Titanium 18.16 % Ti 30.29 % TiO₂

Aluminum 2.73 % Al 5.16 % Al₂O₃

Iron 1.41 % Fe 2.02 % Fe₂O₃

Silicon 14.20 % Si 30.38 % SiO₂

Oxygen 39.64 % O

Fluorine 0.96 % F 0.96 % F

- % F -0.40 % -O=F₂

______ ______

100.00 % 99.60 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca_0.95REE_0.05Ti_0.75Al_0.2Fe³⁺_0.05SiO_4.9F_0.1

Environment:

A common accessory mineral in intermediate and felsic plutonic rocks, pegmatites, and alpine veins. In gneisses, schists, and some skarns.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1795

Locality:

Passau, Bavaria, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after its chemical composition of titanium.

Name Pronunciation:

Titanite

Synonym:

Greenovite - Mn bearing

Grothite - Al bearing

ICSD 39870

Keilhauite - REE bearing

PDF 31-295

Sphene

Titanite Image

Images:

Titanite

Comments: Several twinned green crystals of Titanite (sphene) on matrix.
Location: Capelinha, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Scale: 5.5x5x3.5 cm.
© Isaias Casanova / IC Minerals

Images:

Titanite Amesite

Comments: Green titanite (sphene) crystals on purple chromamesite (clinochlore?).
Location: Saranovskaya Deposit, Middle Ural Mountains, Russia. Scale: Picture size 7 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy

Titanite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.7522:1:0.8532

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.56, b = 8.72, c = 7.44, Z = 4; beta = 119.716° V = 369.62 Den(Calc)= 3.55

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P 2₁/a

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.233(1), 2.595(0.9), 2.989(0.9),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 1 1 0) ( 1 1 1) ( 0 0 1)

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Crystal Structure:

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Speer J A , Gibbs G V , American Mineralogist , 61 (1976) p.238-247, The crystal structure of synthetic titanite, CaTiOSiO4, and the domain textures, of natural titanites

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Titanite
[1] [10] [100] [101] [102] [103] [104] [105] [106] [107] [108] [109] [11] [110] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [3] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [4] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [5] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [6] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [7] [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [8] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [9] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99]

Physical Properties of Titanite

Cleavage:

{110} Distinct, {100} Imperfect, {112} Imperfect

Color:

Reddish brown, Gray, Yellow, Green, Red.

Density:

3.4 - 3.56, Average = 3.48

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent to opaque

Fracture:

Sub Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by semi-curving surfaces.

Habit:

Crystalline - Fine - Occurs as well-formed fine sized crystals.

Habit:

Massive - Lamellar - Distinctly foliated fine-grained forms.

Hardness:

5-5.5 - Apatite-Knife Blade

Luminescence:

Fluorescent, Short UV=weak brown.

Luster:

Adamantine - Resinous

Streak:

reddish white

Optical Properties of Titanite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.051 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.03 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2698,KPDmeas= 0.2752,KC= 0.2618
Ncalc = 1.89 - 1.93

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.84-1.95, b=1.87-2.034, g=1.943-2.11, bire=0.1030-0.1600, 2V(Calc)=68-82, 2V(Meas)=20-56. Dispersion r > v extreme.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless, greenish yellow, colorless, or yellowish brown.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless, pink, greenish yellow, yellowish brown, or yellowish green.

Calculated Properties of Titanite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.47 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Titanite =3.55 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.03
Boson Index = 0.97

Photoelectric:

PE_Titanite= 27.56 barns/electron
U=PE_Titanite x r_electron= 95.53 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 3,805.78 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Titanite per GRapi unit = 262.76 (PPM)

Titanite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.

**Estimated Radioactivity from Titanite** - mild
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *	Calculated Activity Bequerols (Bq)	Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)	Estimated Activity GR(api)	Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 8.13 cm	81,848	2.21E-06	3,805.78	1.25
100 gm / 3.78 cm	8,185	2.21E-07	380.58	0.13
10 gm / 1.75 cm	818	2.21E-08	38.06	0.01
1 gm / 8.13 mm	82	2.21E-09	3.81	0.00
0.1 gm / 3.78 mm	8	2.21E-10	0.38	0.00
0.01 gm / 1.75 mm	1	2.21E-11	0.04	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.81 mm	0	2.21E-12	0.00	0.00

Weight of pure Titanite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 3.55 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure ( 360 mRem) **
Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem
Estimated Thorium Activity ( 0.18 % Th) From Sum REE Elements ( 3.64 % REE)

Titanite Classification

Dana Class:

52.04.03.01 (52)Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups and O, OH, F, and H2O

(52.04)with cations in [6] and/or > [6] coordination

(52.04.03)Titanite group

52.04.03.01 Titanite CaTiSiO5 P 2₁/a 2/m

52.04.03.02 Malayaite CaSnSiO5=CaSnOSiO4 A2/a 2/m

52.04.03.03 Vanadomalayaite CaVOSiO4 C 2/c 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.AG.15 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.A - Nesosilicates

09.AG -Nesosilicates with additional anions; cations in > [6] ± [6] coordination

09.AG.15 Malayaite CaSnSiO5=CaSnOSiO4 A2/a 2/m

09.AG.15 Vanadomalayaite CaVOSiO4 C 2/c 2/m

09.AG.15 Titanite CaTiSiO5 P 2₁/a 2/m

Other Titanite Information

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Titanite Specimen Label here :

Titanite

CaTiSiO5
Dana No: 52.04.03.01 Strunz No: 09.AG.15
Locality:

Notes: