Page 41 - Introduction to Mineral Exploration

24 A.M. EVANS

White pigment in paint, plastics, rubber, paper, Cutting materials, steels, electric light bulbs generators, special steels, military purposes Vanadium steels, super Acoustical and thermal insulator, carrier for fertilizer and agricultural Ceramics, filler, extender Cements, paper filler, ion exchange resins, dietary supplement for animals, molecular “sieve”, galvanizing iron and steel, copper-based alloys, e.g. Refractories

Major uses etc. Nuclear-powered alloys chemicals catalyst Alloy castings, brass

Both an important metal and industrial material in Many other ore minerals The main producer is now the RSA from Ti–V–magnetites in the Bushveld Complex Expands on heating Uses multiplying rapidly, much of the demand supplied by synthetic Most zircon is converted to ZrO 2 for industrial use

Remarks form TiO 2 zeolites

Supergene X X X X X X X X X

Primary X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

= 45–65 90–98

% Metal TiO 2 = TiO 2 64 61 88 56 55 51 13 15 61 = 1.5–2.1 V 54 52 up to 67 74 50

Mineral formulae FeTiO 3 TiO 2 CaWO 4 (Fe,Mn)WO 4 UO 2 Ca(UO 2 ) 2 Si 2 O 7 .6H 2 O K 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (VO 4 ) 2 .3H 2 O Cu(UO 2 ) 2 (PO 4 ) 2 .8H 2 O K 2 (UO 2 ) 2 (VO 4 ) 2 .3H 2 O Ca(UO 2 )(VO 4 ) 2 .5-8H 2 O VO(OH) vanadium mica (Fe,Ti,V) 2 O 4 (Mg,Fe,Al) 3 (Al,Si) 4 O 10 (OH) 2 .4H 2 O CaSiO 3 Zn 4 (OH) 2 Si 2 O 7 .H 2 O ZnCO 3 (Zn,Fe)S ZrO 2 ZrSiO 4

(continued)

TABLE 2.1 Commodity and principal ore minerals Titania ilmenite rutile Tungsten scheelite wolframite Uranium uraninite- pitchblende uranophane carnotite torbernite Vanadium carnotite tyuyamunite montroseite roscoelite magnetite Vermiculite Wollastonite Zeolites Zinc hemimorphite smithsonite sphalerite Zirconium baddeleyite zircon