Osbornite

osbornite

corundum

oldhamite

perovskite

Images

Formula: TiN
Nitride, osbornite group
Crystal System: Isometric
Specific gravity: 5.25
Hardness: 8½
Colour: Golden yellow
Environments

Igneous environments
Meteorites

Osbornite is a very rare natural nitride, originally formed in star dust and now almost exclusively found in meteorites, commonly associated with corundum. Synthetic titanium nitride is a very important high-performance ceramic (Mindat).

Localities

At the type locality, the Bustee meteorite, Gorakhpur, Basti District, Uttar Pradesh, India, osbornite occurs as inclusions in oldhamite in an enstatite achondrite meteorite, associated with oldhamite and diopside (HOM, Mindat).

In Russia, from an undefined locality “near the junction of the Azov block with the Donbas” as inclusions in corundum, in weathered detritus from a pipelike body containing breccia with an alkalic ultramafic cement. Associated minerals include corundum, iron, perovskite and iron silicides (HOM).

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