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Pyrophanite crystals
Cynthia Peat specimen
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum
Pyrophanite crystals
Photo by Violet Anderson
© Royal Ontario Museum
Pyrophanite crystals
© Doug Merson
Pyrophanite crystals
© Modris Baum
MnTiO
Pyrophanite, a member of the ilmenite group, is relatively common at Mont Saint-Hilaire.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is usually deep carmine red, black on opaque rosettes.
Luster is metallic to adamantine.
Diaphaneity is opaque to transparent.
Crystal System is hexagonal; 3.
Crystal Habits include thin hexagonal plates to 1cm, complex blocky
crystals and rosette-like aggregates to 2cm.
Cleavage {021} is perfect and {102} is distinct.
Fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
Hardness is 5 – 6.
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.5 g/cm
Streak is brownish-red.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, amphibole group,
analcime, ancylite, astrophyllite, burbankite, calcite, catapleiite,
cordylite, fluorapatite, fluorite, garnet group, natrolite, pyrite,
rhodochrosite, sphalerite, zircon and UK #48.
Distinguishing Features: Crystal habit and color.
Origin: Named in 1890 from the Greek pyr, fire, plus phainomai
to appear, alluding to its reddish brown color.
CLASSIFICATION:
Dana System
# 4.3.5.3
Strunz Classification
# IV/C.05-30
REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:331 (1990), Dana 8:228 (1997)
DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:
MSH
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Pyrophanite crystals
© Modris Baum
Pyrophanite crystals
© Stephan Wolfsried
Pyrophanite crystals
© Jason B. Smith
Pyrophanite crystals
© Stephan Wolfsried