Silicon carbide bodies having high toughness and fracture resistance and method of making same

A sintered silicon carbide ceramic body preferably produced from a uniform mixture comprising from about 82 percent to about 99.4 percent by weight silicon carbide, from about 0.5 percent to about 10 percent by weight of a nitrogen containing aluminum compound and from about 0.1 to about 8 percent of a rare earth oxide, both reacted with oxygen, wherein said sintered ceramic body has a density greater than 90% percent of theoretical and a fracture toughness, as measured by a single edge notched beam test, of more than 7 MPam1/2 and method of making the same.