Titanium is very widely distributed. Its most important mineral sources are ilmenite
and rutile (TiO2). F. W. Clarke, of the U.S. Geological Survey, stated some years ago that 784 out of Soo igneous rocks analyzed in the Survey laboratory contained titanium. During the year 193 7 the production of ilmenite in metric tons was as follows: Malaya, 6,352; Norway,
; Brazil, 234; Canada, 3,837; and India
; and the total production of rutile was about 2,100 metric tons, chiefly from Australia. The deposits of ilmenite ore at Lake Sanford, New York, and Iron Mountain, Wyoming, are estimated to contain many millions of tons, averaging 35% ilmenite. The Titan Co. of Norway owns one of the richest and largest known deposits of ilmenite. The Norwegian deposits of titanium in the islands of Lofoten and Vesterael, and near Rodsand and Solnordal, are very extensive. They are estimated to contain about soo,000 tons, varying from 4%-4o%
Norway is said to have a total of 20-25 million tons of titanium minerals.
Although production data are in complete, those available, plus estimates for the gaps, seem to in dicate a total world output of about goo grams of radium to the end of 1938, about 49% of which has come from Belgian Congo, 29% from the United States, 9% each from Czechoslovakia and Canada, with minor amounts from Portugal, Russia, England (Cornwall), and South Africa. Beginning in 1923 a heavy out put was built up in Belgian Congo, replacing the United States as chief producer. Since 1933 Canada has developed deposits second only to those of the Congo, and by late in 1938 the re finery was producing at the rate of 4 grams of radium monthly, as compared with a maximum of 5 grams monthly in 1929-1930 from the refinery in Belgium, treating the Congo ores. Little in
formation is available on the reserves of the major producers, Congo and Canada, beyond the fact that considerable amounts of ore await future operations. Among the minor producers, a recent report credits the Joachimsthal mine (Czechoslovakia) with reserves of at least 30o grams of radium.
The radium accompanies uranium minerals, usually in pitch blende, and to a lesser extent in carnotite. There are several other uranium minerals, but although their distribution is fairly wide, they are not found in commercial quantities. Roughly, the radium outputs quoted above are an indication of the relative outputs of the uranium minerals.
The chief mineral sources of zirconium are zircon (ZrSiO4), baddeleyite and brazilite, both essentially
Zircite is a commercial name given to the oxide or to a mixture of the silicate and the oxide. Zircon is found chiefly in Ceylon, the Ural Mountains, Greenland and Australia; and in the United States, in commercial quantities, in western North Carolina, at Ashland in Virginia and at Pablo Beach in Florida. It occurs in small quantities associated with many minerals, notably with monazite sands. Baddeleyite, brazilite, zirkelite and zircite (the partially purified ore) come chiefly from Ceylon and Brazil.
In 1937 the production of zircon was 5,251 long tons in Aus tralia and 1,329 tons in India, while exports from Brazil amounted to 2,317 tons; minor amounts have been produced irregularly in French West Africa and Madagascar. The United States imports of 7,977 long tons in 1937 consumed the bulk of the supply, in re fractories and ceramics; smaller amounts are used in the produc tion of ferroalloys, coatings for welding rods, and pure metal. Reserves in all three of the leading producing countries are ex tensive. (G. A. Ro.)