sphene
/sfiːn
/noun [mass noun]
A greenish-yellow or brown mineral consisting of a silicate of calcium and titanium, occurring in granitic and metamorphic rocks in wedge-shaped crystals.The main constituent phases of these rocks are plagioclase, hornblende, pyroxene, quartz and K-feldspar, and accessory phases include magnetite, sphene, zircon and apatite....
- Titanium resides principally in heavy minerals: ilmenite, rutile, anatase and sphene, whereas Zr is located predominantly in zircon.
- How about sphene versus titanite, or celestine versus celestite?
Origin
Early 19th century: from French sphène, from Greek sphēn 'wedge'.