UNITED STATES MINERAL RESOURCES 



TITANIUM 



By Harry KlemiCj Sherman P. Marsh,, and Margaret Cooper 



CONTENTS 



Abstract of conclusions 



Introduction 



Exploitation 



Prices, value of imports 



Byproducts and coproducts _ 



Environmental problems 



Geologic environment 



Geochemistry 



Titanium-rich minerals 



Primary rutile deposits 



Secondary rutile deposits 



Primary ilmenite deposits -_ 

 Secondary ilmenite deposits _ 



Resources 



Identified titanium resources 



Hypothetical resources 



Speculative resources 



Exploration 



Problems for research 



References cited 



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FIGURE 



72. 



Graph showing ilmenite concentrate production 

 for the world and the United States, and 

 titanium slag production for Canada, 1951- 

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TABLES 



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144. 



World production of rutile, 1969-71 



U.S. consumption of titanium concentrates, 1970 



U.S. imports of the titanium concentrates, 



ilmenite and rutile, 1967-71 



Principal titanium-rich minerals 



Identified titanium resources in the United 



States 



Identified titanium resources of the world — 



Identified world resources of rutile 



World reserves of titanium 



Hypothetical world resources of titanium 



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ABSTRACT OF CONCLUSIONS 



Titanium is an abundant element that is principally use- 

 ful in the modern industrial technology of affluent societies. 

 Titanium metal and alloys are used in the aerospace and 

 chemical industries, and titanium dioxide is used in the 

 welding-rod and pigment industries. Rutile (Ti02), ilmenite 

 (FeTiOa), and titanium slag made from ilmenite are the 

 principal raw materials from which purified titanium prod- 

 ucts are extracted. The Kroll method, involving reduction 

 of titanium tetrachloride in an inert atmosphere, is used to 

 obtain metallic titanium. 



The United States is dependent almost entirely upon for- 

 eign sources, mostly Australia, for rutile, but has substan- 

 tial reserves and production of ilmenite. In 1970, U.S. de- 

 mand for titanium was 490,000 short tons, and annual de- 

 mand is expected to exceed 1 million short tons by the year 

 2000. U.S. and world identified resources are estimated to 

 be about 298 million and 2,000 million short tons of TiOs, 

 respectively. Reserves of titanium in the United States in 

 1970 were estimated to be about 25 million short tons of 

 Ti02, mostly in ilmenite. 



Rutile, ilmenite, and other titanium-rich minerals occur 

 in primary deposits in igneous and metamorphic rocks and 

 in secondary-type sedimentary deposits, especially placer 

 sands. Research is needed to find new domestic titanium de- 

 posits and processes for extracting titanium and other valu- 

 able coproducts from complex ores. Environmental problems 

 may limit the mining of some titanium deposits. 



INTRODUCTION 



Titanium is an abundant element that has become 

 significantly useful industrially to man only within 

 the past 100 years. Its principal uses are related to 

 requirements and wants of modern industrial tech- 

 nology and affluent societies. 



Titanium is a silver-gray metal that crystallizes 

 in the hexagonal system below 882° C and in the 

 cubic system above 882°C; it has a density of 4.5, 

 which is only 75 percent of the density of steel 

 (Barksdale, 1966). At low temperatures titanium 

 and its alloys compare favorably in strength with 

 some steels. At higher temperatures to 800°C, the 

 strength-weight ratio of titanium is more favorable, 



U.S. GEOL. SURVEY PROF. PAPER 820 



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