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Hydroxylian pseudorutile derived from picroilmenite in the Murray Basin, southeastern Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

I. E. Grey  and
C. Li
I. E. Grey*
Affiliation:
CSIRO Minerals, Box 312 Clayton South, Victoria, Australia 3169
C. Li
Affiliation:
CSIRO Minerals, Box 312 Clayton South, Victoria, Australia 3169
*
* E-mail: ian.grey@csiro.au
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Abstract

Ilmenite concentrates obtained from heavy mineral deposits in the Murray Basin, southeastern Australia contain appreciable quantities (up to 10 wt.%) of an unusual hydrated Fe titanate mineral in the form of orange to red coloured translucent grains. The grains are weakly magnetic and have a low apparent density (<3.3 g cm–3) due to microprosity, which enables them to be easily concentrated in a pure state. Samples from different deposits have similar analyses of 67–69% TiO2, 8 –9% Fe2O3, 2–3% FeO, 11 –12% H2O and 8 –9% of intra-pore impurities, mainly SiO2 and Al2O3. The powder pattern for the mineral closely matches that for pseudorutile; having a hexagonal subcell with a = 2.844 (1) Å, c = 4.575 (1) Å. The idealized composition range of the Fe titanate, calculated from analyses and structure refinements, is [FeTi6O12(OH)3].3H2O to [FeTi6O11(OH)5].2H2O. The molecular water is nonstructural, probably adsorbed on the surfaces of nano-scale domains of the mineral. Electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy studies provide evidence for formation of the mineral by replacement reactions acting on MgO-rich ferrian ilmenite grains. The mineral represents a distinct intermediate in the chemical weathering of ilmenite, having a pseudorutile-like structure but a leucoxene-like composition. It is unusual in not having undergone any recrystallization to phases such as rutile and anatase.

Keywords

Keywords:pseudorutileilmeniteAustraliaMurray Basiniron titanate.
Type
Research Article
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 67 , Issue 4 , August 2003 , pp. 733 - 747
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2003

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