A small specimen of the dark grey and extremely rare titanium carbide khamrabaevite in an analyzed specimen by SEM/EDS, from Tao district, Fengning County, Chengde, Hebei, China (Peoples Republic). Ex Vandenbroucke Museum collection from Waregem, Belgium. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Khamrabaevite
The rare mineral form of titanium carbide — an extremely hard refractory phase found in meteorites.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Khamrabaevite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the organic mineral class, with the chemical formula TiC.
It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system (space group Fm3m). It is a member of the Rocksalt structural group.
Key properties: Metallic luster.
IMA symbol Krb, IMA status: approved, named in 1983.
Found in amygdaloidal basaltic porphyries (Chatkal Range, Russia); in spheroidal groups in granodiorites that have undergone silica metasomatism (Chinorsaisk massif, Tadzhikistan).
It is found associated with Suessite (Chatkal Range, Russia); magnetite, iron, carbonaceous material (Chinorsaisk massif, Tadzhikistan).
The mineral was named to honor Ibragim Khamrabaevich Khamrabaeva (1920-), Director, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.