Class: Silicates
Group: Titanite
Original description: ‘Titanit’ Klaproth, M. H., 1795. Untersuchung eines neuen Fossils aus dem Passauischen — Beiträge zur Chemischen Kenntniss der Mineralkörper 1: 245—252 [
view in ‘Library’].
Type locality: titanite occurrence, Hauzenberg, Bavaria, Germany.
Type material: unknown.
Etymology: for the titanium in its composition.
Distribution: Austria: Tirol, Zillertal; Brazil: Minas Gerais; Canada; Madagascar; Mexico; Norway: near Arendal; Russia: Urals; Switzerland: St. Gotthard, Ticino; Zermatt, Valais (
Anthony et al., 2001—2005).
Chemistry
CaTiSiO5
Essential elements: oxygen (O), silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), titanium (Ti).
Crystal data
Crystallography: monoclinic — prismatic.
Crystal habit: crystals wedge-shaped, flattened or prismatic by extension along [110], to 16 cm; compact, massive.
Twinning: on {100}, contact and penetration; less commonly lamellar on {221} (
Anthony et al., 2001—2005).
Optical properties
Colour: black, brown, grey, colourless, green, yellow, red; colourless to yellow or brown in thin section (
Anthony et al., 2001—2005).
Diaphaneity: transparent to opaque (
Anthony et al., 2001—2005).
Lustre: adamantine to resinous (
Arem, 1987: 176).
Refractive index: 1.843—2.110 — anisotropic [biaxial (+)] (
Lazzarelli, 2012).
Birefringence: 0.1—0.192.
Dispersion: 0.051 (strong) (
Arem, 1987: 176).
Pleochroism: distinct when deeply coloured; X = nearly colourless; Y = yellow to green; Z = red to yellow-orange (
Anthony et al., 2001—2005).
Material from ‘Repository’
