Rutile

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Rutile reddish-brown to black tetragonal mineral; commonly massive or as long prismatic crystals. Its cleavage is distinct {' 110}; hardness is 6-6.5 on Moh's scale and specific gravity is 4.2-4.5. It is a common accessory mineral of acid igneous and metamorphic rocks and also occurs in quartz veins and as residual grain in beach sand. Rutile is mainly used to make welding rods, in the paint industry, and as a source of Ti metal.

Table  Rutile reserve in Bangladesh.

Locality Raw Sand Heavy Mineral Rutile
Badarmokam 1,765,000 411,000 3,288
Sabrang 347,558 68,582 1,372
Teknaf 1,939,580 442,291 13,230
Shilkhali 2,756,828 489,714 10,774
Inani 729,286 175,476 4,036
Cox's Bazar 5,119,000 920,000 6,440
Maheshkhali Island 4,114,230 784,210 24,596
Matarbari Island 69,030 15,215 295
Nijhum Island 379,337 96,348 424
Kutubdia Island 404,646 120,000 1,908
Kuakata 2,872,486 831,668 3,911
Total 20,496,981 4,354,504 70,274

Source  Badrul Imam, 1996.

In Bangladesh rutile is found as beach sand heavy mineral placer deposits in the sea beaches and coastal islands of Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali and Patuakhali districts. It occurs mostly with fine to very fine sand grains. Generally the sands containing it are coarser than the sands containing zircon, magnetite and monazite. The highest concentration of 4% of rutile is reported from Maheshkhali Island, the lowest concentration of 0.35% from Kuakata, as and the average is 2%. The reserve of rutile in Bangladesh is about 70,274 thousand tons. [Sifatul Quader Chowdhury]

See also rocks and minerals.