Ilmenite

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Ilmenite is a weakly magnetic iron-black or steel-gray mineral found in metamorphic and igneous rocks. It is a crystalline iron titanium oxide (FeTiO₃). It crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as corundum and hematite.

Many mafic igneous rocks contain grains of intergrown magnetite and ilmenite, formed by the oxidation of ulvospinel. Ilmenite also occurs as discrete grains, typically with some hematite in solid solution, and complete solid solution exists between the two minerals at temperatures above about 950°C. Ilmenite also forms solid solutions with geikielite (MgTiO₃).

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Although named after the locality of its discovery in the Il'menski Mountains, near Miass, Russia, most ilmenite is recovered from secondary sources, such as beach sands. It is normally found in sand as rounded particles with a diameter between 0.1 and 0.2 mm.

The majority of the ilmenite mined is used as a raw material for pigment production. The product is titanium dioxide, which is an extremely white substance used as a base in high-quality paint. It is commonly massive, but also occurs in rhombohedral crystals.

[edit] Lunar ilmenite

Ilmenite has been found in Moon rocks, and in 2005 NASA used the Hubble Space Telescope to locate potentially ilmenite-rich locations. This mineral could be essential to an eventual Moon base, as ilmenite would provide a source of iron and titanium for the building of structures and essential oxygen extraction.