Pseudorutile

Fe3+2Ti4+3O9
IMA status
  • Approved
IMA symbol
Pdrt
Discovered
1994
Also known as
  • Pseudorutiel

Where it forms, where it's found

Type locality
South Neptune Island
  1. South Australia
  2. Australia

-35.3333°, 136.1167°

30recorded occurrences
Source · OpenStreetMap

Varieties

Physical

Hardness
123456789105.5/ 10 MOHS
  1. 1Talc
  2. 2Gypsum
  3. 3Calcite
  4. 4Fluorite
  5. 5Apatite
  6. 6Orthoclase
  7. 7Quartz
  8. 8Topaz
  9. 9Corundum
  10. 10Diamond
Transparency
Opaque
Colour
Dark steel-gray on fresh fractures · light brown to black
Streak
Reddish brown
Tenacity
brittle
Fracture
Sub-Conchoidal
Density
3.8 g/cm³

Optical

Optical type
Uniaxial
Pleochroism
Weak

very weak in reds

Notes

n = ∼2.62

Crystallography

Crystal system
Hexagonal
Space group
#120
Cell parameters
a = 14.375(6) Å · c = 4.615(3) Å
Z
6
Morphology

thin, irregular plates having fibrous texture; fine-grained, massive.

Crystal structure

Chemical composition

Constituent elements
Mass composition breakdown
ElementAtoms At. mass g/mol Mass g/molMass share
8OOxygenOxygen915.999143.991
36.06%
22TiTitaniumTitanium347.867143.601
35.97%
26FeIronIron255.845111.690
27.97%
Total399.282100.00%

Mass share = atoms × atomic mass ÷ molar mass × 100

From IMA formula

Synonyms

  • Pseudorutiel

In other languages

German
Pseudorutil
Italian
Pseudorutile · Pseudorutilo

Classification

Strunz
10th ed.

4.CB.25

  • 4OxidesClass
  • 4.CMetal: Oxygen = 2: 3,3: 5, and similarDivision
  • 4.CBWith medium-sized cationsGroup
  • 4.CB.25PseudorutileSpecies
Dana
8th ed.

08.04.02.01

  • 08Multiple Oxides Containing Niobium, Tantalum or TitaniumClass
  • 08.04A2B3O9Type
  • 08.04.02— unnamed intermediate level —Group
  • 08.04.02.01PseudorutileSpecies
CIM

7.9.18

  • 7Oxides and HydroxidesClass
  • 7.9Oxides of TiGroup
  • 7.9.18PseudorutileSpecies

Group, growth & confusion

Commonly confused with
1 mineral

Literature, links & citation

Citations
  1. 1959KARKHANAVALA, M. D., MOMIN, A. C. (1959) Subsolidus Reactions in the System Fe2O3- TiO2. Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 42 (8). 399-402 doi:10.1111/j.1151-2916.1959.tb13600.xDOI: 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1959.tb13600.x
  2. 1966TEUFER, G.; TEMPLE, A. K. (1966) Pseudorutile—a New Mineral Intermediate between Ilmenite and Rutile in the Natural Alteration of Ilmenite. Nature, 211 (5045). 179-181 doi:10.1038/211179b0DOI: 10.1038/211179b0
  3. 1971Larrett, M.J.W., Spencer, W.G. (1971) Contributions to Australasian Mineralogy, 3. "Pseudorutile" from South Neptune Island, South Australia. Amdel Bulletin: 12: 74-80.
  4. 1975Grey, Ian E., Reid, Alan F. (1975) The structure of pseudorutile and its role in the natural alteration of ilmenite. American Mineralogist, 60 (9-10) 898-906
  5. 1980Wort, M. J., Jones, M. P. (1980) X-ray diffraction and magnetic studies of altered ilmenite and pseudorutile. Mineralogical Magazine, 43 (329) 659-663 doi:10.1180/minmag.1980.043.329.16 DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1980.043.329.16
Cite this entry
@misc{mineral2026,
  author    = {Mineral Index editorial board},
  title     = {Pseudorutile — Mineral Index},
  year      = {2026},
  url       = {https://mineralindex.org/minerals/pseudorutile-3296},
  note      = {Accessed 2026-05-11}
}