Anatase
TiO₂

     Anatase has a very widespread occurrence at MSH. One of the most striking occurrences is made up of very thin anatase plates impaled on fine aegirine needles.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Color is predominantly black, less commonly brown and
   rarely dark blue.
Luster is adamantine to metallic.
Diaphaneity: The black crystals are opaque while the brown
   and the blue are translucent.
Crystal System is tetragonal; I4₁/amd.
Crystal Habits include the tetragonal dipyramid, equant and
   the tabular habit with dominant pinacoid.
Cleavage: {001} and {011} are perfect.
Fracture is subconchoidal.
Hardness is 5.5 - 6.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.9 g/cm³.
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals include aegirine, albite, amphibole group,
   analcime, bastnäsite, brookite, calcite, catapleiite, chlorite group,
   donnayite, fluorapatite, gmelinite, natrolite, pyrite, quartz, rutile
   and siderite.
Distinguishing Features: Combination of crystal habit, color and
   luster is distinctive.
Origin: Named in 1801 for the Greek for extension, in allusion to the
   greater length of the common pyramidal faces compared to those of
   other tetragonal minerals.

CLASSIFICATION:

REFERENCES:
MinRec 21:295 (1990), Dana 8:245-246 (1997)

DISTRIBUTION AND RARITY AT MONT SAINT-HILAIRE:

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