PYROPHANITE

    Class : Oxides and hydroxides
    Subclass : Oxides
    Crystal system : Trigonal
    Chemistry : MnTiO3
    Rarity : Fairly common

Pyrophanite belongs to the ilmenite group. It forms a partial solid solution with ilmenite in the strict sense. Pyrophanite is essentially ilmenite from metamorphic manganese deposits; it is rarer as an accessory mineral in granites, pegmatites or amphibolites. Its name comes from the Greek pûr (fire) and phanos (bright) or phainein (to appear) in allusion to its brilliant red color. Pyrophanite forms rare tabular or lamellar crystals, hexagonal in appearance, grouped in rosettes of 2 cm maximum, and occurs mainly in scaly or grainy aggregates. Its color ranges from very dark red to black.

Main photo : Pyrophanite from Mont St-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada © Stephan Wolfsried

Pyrophanite from Zagi Mountain, Peshawar, Pakistan © Chris Emproto
Pyrophanite from Mont St-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada © Tony Peterson
Pyrophanite from Big Rock Quarry, Arkansas, USA © Stephan Wolfsried
Twinned supposed pyrophanite  from Big Rock Quarry, Arkansas, USA © Robert Rothenberg

Pyrophanite in the World

Curiously, the best pyrophanite crystals come from the alkaline complex of Mont St-Hilaire (Quebec), a very unusual setting for this mineral known among others in the metamorphic manganese deposits of Sterling Hill (New Jersey), Hastig-Pajsberg (Sweden ), and widely distributed in Japanese deposits (Kazama, Taguchi, etc...).

Pyrophanite in France

In France, pyrophanite is known in the Alps such as in St-Jean-de-Maurienne (Savoie), at the Clausis mine (Hautes-Alpes) and in the Pyrenees (Aramits). It is also reported in the Mont-Dore massif (Puy-de-Dôme).

Twinning

No twins known for this mineral species.

Fakes and treatments

No fakes listed for this mineral species.


Hardness : 5 to 6
Density : 4.537
Fracture : Conchoidal to sub-conchoidal
Streak : Ocher yellow

TP : Opaque
RI : 2.210 to 2.481
Birefringence : 0.271
Optical character : Uniaxial -
Pleochroism : None
Fluorescence : None

Solubility : Hydrochloric acid

Magnetism : NoneRadioactivity : None

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