Ilmenite

A black iron titanium oxide and the main ore of titanium, common in black beach sands.

Ilmenite specimen — Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify ilmenite

Black and submetallic.
Only weakly magnetic.
Black streak.

Often confused with

Magnetite
Magnetite is strongly magnetic.
Compare side by side
Hematite
Hematite leaves a red-brown streak.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Beach sands of Australia and South Africa
Kerala, India
Tellnes, Norway

Uses

Titanium dioxide pigment and titanium metal.

Rock tumbling

Can be tumbled with care.

Did you know?

Lunar basalts brought back by Apollo astronauts are unusually rich in ilmenite.

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