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Tantalite, [(Fe
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
, Mn
Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
) Ta
Tantalum

Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. A rare, hard, blue-grey, lustre transition metal, tantalum is highly corrosion-resistant and occurs naturally in the mineral tantalite, always together with the chemically similar niobium....
2O
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
6], is a mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
 that is close to columbite. In fact, the two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called columbite-tantalite
Coltan

Coltan is the colloquial African name for columbite-tantalite, a metallic ore from which are extracted the elements niobium and tantalum....
 in many mineral guides. But Tantalite has a much greater specific gravity
Specific gravity

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and pressure, typically at 4?C and , making it a dimensionless quantity ....
 than Columbite (8.0+ compared to Columbite's 5.2).

Tantalite is black to brown in both color and streak. Manganese
Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
 rich tantalites can be brown and translucent. Tantalite has been found in Namibia
Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
, Nigeria, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Madagascar
Madagascar

Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
, northern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, and Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
 and Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.






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Tantalite, [(Fe
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
, Mn
Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
) Ta
Tantalum

Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. A rare, hard, blue-grey, lustre transition metal, tantalum is highly corrosion-resistant and occurs naturally in the mineral tantalite, always together with the chemically similar niobium....
2O
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
6], is a mineral
Mineral

A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through Geology processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties....
 that is close to columbite. In fact, the two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called columbite-tantalite
Coltan

Coltan is the colloquial African name for columbite-tantalite, a metallic ore from which are extracted the elements niobium and tantalum....
 in many mineral guides. But Tantalite has a much greater specific gravity
Specific gravity

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and pressure, typically at 4?C and , making it a dimensionless quantity ....
 than Columbite (8.0+ compared to Columbite's 5.2).

Tantalite is black to brown in both color and streak. Manganese
Manganese

Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a Oxidation state in nature , and in many minerals....
 rich tantalites can be brown and translucent. Tantalite has been found in Namibia
Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
, Nigeria, Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Madagascar
Madagascar

Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
, northern Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, and Maine
Maine

The State of Maine is a U.S. state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
 and Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
 in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Brazil has the world's largest reserve of Tantalite (52.1%). As at 2006, 75% of world tantalite production comes from Australia.

Tantalite is also produced in Colombia
Colombia

Colombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a country in north-western South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the north west by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
. The largest producer, operates mines in Guainia
Guainía

Guain?a may refer to:* Guain?a Department of Colombia* Rio Negro , known as Guain?a River in Colombia...
 and Vichada
Vichada

Vichada may refer to:*Department of Vichada, a subdivision of Colombia*Vichada River, a river in eastern Colombia...
, Colombia.

Tantalite is used as an ore of tantalum
Tantalum

Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. A rare, hard, blue-grey, lustre transition metal, tantalum is highly corrosion-resistant and occurs naturally in the mineral tantalite, always together with the chemically similar niobium....
 and niobium
Niobium

Niobium , or columbium , is a chemical element with symbol Nb and atomic number 41. A rare, soft, grey, ductile transition metal, niobium is found in the minerals pyrochlore and columbite....
 and as mineral specimens and occur in pegmatites. Some specimens may show a bluish iridescent tarnish
Tarnish

Tarnish is a layer of corrosion that forms over copper, brass, silver, aluminum, and other semi-reactive metals as they undergo oxidation. It is analogous to rust, but with a slower rate of occurrence....
 and have demonstrated weak magnetism
Magnetism

In physics, magnetism is one of the phenomena by which materials exert attractive or repulsive forces on other materials. Some well-known materials that exhibit easily detectable magnetic properties are nickel, iron, cobalt, and their alloys; however, all materials are influenced to greater or lesser degree by the presence of a magnetic fiel...
.

Tantalite is largely found mixed with columbite in an ore called coltan
Coltan

Coltan is the colloquial African name for columbite-tantalite, a metallic ore from which are extracted the elements niobium and tantalum....
.

See also

  • Coltan
    Coltan

    Coltan is the colloquial African name for columbite-tantalite, a metallic ore from which are extracted the elements niobium and tantalum....
  • Ferrotantalite
    Ferrotantalite

    Ferrotantalite, 2O6 is a black mineral that is an ore of niobium and tantalum. It has a submetallic Lustre , a high specific gravity and is a tantalate of iron and manganese, containing niobate of iron....
  • Manganotantalite
    Manganotantalite

    Manganotantalite is the Manganese pure member of the Columbite-Tantalite series. It is a black or brown mineral, opaque to translucid, specific gravity 8,1 and important tantalum ore....
  • List of minerals
    List of minerals

    This is a List of minerals for which there are Wikipedia articles. Mineral variety names and mineraloids are to be listed after the valid minerals for each letter....