What's in a Name - Ilmenite

Mineral Matters #762

Many of you will have heard of the mineral ilmenite, an iron titanium oxide. But how many of you know where it got its name from?

Well, if you look in Mindat, you will see that it got its name from its Type Locality in the Ilmen Mountains (also known as the Ilmensky Mountains), Russia. It was named in 1827 by the German-Russian chemist and mineralogist, Adolph Theodor Kupffer.

But is it that simple?

Before the name "ilmenite" was officially adopted, the mineral was known by a few other names, including:

• Menaccanite (also spelled manaccanite and other variations): This was an earlier name given in 1791 by Reverend William Gregor, who discovered the mineral at Tregonwell Mill, near Manaccan in Cornwall, England.

• Mohsite: Described by Serve-Dieu Abailard "Armand" Lévy, also in 1827. Long regarded as a synonym of ilmenite, but could be crichtonite or senaite. Unfortunately, the original material has been lost.

So there you go!

Interestingly, the element titanium was first extracted from a specimen of menaccanite, also by William Gregor!

Below: Ilmenite, Spring Hill, Macedon Ranges, Victoria. Width of view 4.5mm.