(Morafeno, Kaominina Tranomaro, Distrikan'i Amboasary, Faritra Anosy, Faritanin'i Toliary, Madagasikara)
A body of scapolite-bearing pyroxenite has been worked for phlogopite, and later in the end of 1950s for thorianite. The Morafeno locality is situated about 10 km south of the village Tranomaro in the southeastern part of Madagascar. Around 1960 different names was given to the different parts of the workings at Morafeno (Behier 1960):
1. Andavabe where thorianite was found embedded in phlogopite and an pyroxen as "cakes" parallellgrowing crystals >10 mm. Nice 2-3 cm crystals of spinel has also been found here
2. Beraketa (also name of the small waterway nearby), 700m further north,thorianite has been found as < 1 cm cubes embedded in white or orange calcite.
3. "Puits Moreau". Good crystals of diopside has been found here.
In 1996-1998 specimens with 1 cm large, sharp
sapphirine crystals in a calcite-phlogopite-scapolite matix was seen on mineral shows. They were first labelled as coming from Androy. A short notice in Niedermayr (1998) gives the locality as Morafeno. They have also (most probably erronously (?)) been labelled as coming from Betroka District.
References:
- Behier, J. (1960): Contribution á la mineralogie de Madagascar. Annales Géologiques de Madagascar XXIX, Tananarive
- Behier, J. (1963): Carte mineralogique de Madagascar. Archive Service Géologique Madagascar. A 1871
- Besairie, H. (1966): Les Gites Minéraux de Madagascar. Annales Géologiques de Madagascar, Tananarive, 34,
- Niedermayr, G. (1998): Für den Sammler. Informationen für den sammler- Ausgabe 1998. Carinthia II. 188[108]: 285-290 [p.290 with a short notice on a find of sapphirine]
Mineral List:10 entries listed. 8 valid minerals.
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