The
mineral group
tantalite [(
Fe,
Mn)
Ta2O6] is the primary source of the
chemical element tantalum. It is chemically similar to
columbite, and the two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called
coltan or "columbite-tantalite" in many mineral guides. However, tantalite has a much greater
specific gravity than columbite (8.0+ compared to columbite's 5.2). Iron-rich tantalite is the mineral tantalite-(Fe) or
ferrotantalite and manganese-rich is tantalite-(Mn) or
manganotantalite.