Columbite | Article about Columbite by The Free Dictionary
columbite[kə′ləm‚bīt] (mineralogy) (Fe,Mn)(Cb,Ta)2O6 An iron-black mineral with a submetallic luster that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system; the chief ore mineral of niobium (columbium); hardness is 6 on Mohs scale, and specific gravity is 5.4-6.5. Also known as dianite; greenlandite; niobite. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific ...