Mindat Logo

Antandrokomby pegmatite, Manandona Valley, Sahatany Pegmatite Field (Mt Ibity area), Vakinankaratra Region, Antananarivo Province, Madagascar

A complex type LCT pegmatite hosted in a metadolomite worked for gem tourmaline, spodumene and beryl from the beginning of the 20th century. Located near the village of Ambatolampy, about 35 kilometers south of Antsirabe, and in the Manandona Valley, south of the Ibity Massif (Mt.Ibity) in the central Highland of Madagascar. Administratively, the locality is located just outside the border of the Vakinankaratra Region and the Antananarivo Province, and therefore does not belong to these administrative and political units. But since the Antandrokomby pegmatite in all mineralogical literature is treated as belonging to the Sahatany Pegmatite Field - most of which is inside the region-border - it is sorted under that hierarchy here in Mindat. (Administratively and politically Antandrokomby is sorted under Ambositra Department, Amoron'iMania Region, Fianaranatsoa Province.)

The pegmatite is a steeply dipping dike which measures 350 m x 1,2 meter.

NOTES on the mineral list:
- Some londonite-rhodizite specimens from the Antsongombato gem mine were sold as coming from Antandrokomby.

- Nizamoff et al. (2000) and Webber et al (2002) has shown that tourmalines from the miarolitic cavities at the Antandrokomby are members of the elbaite- schorl series with significant Mg and Ca content, and not liddicoatite.

Mineral List

Albite
var: Cleavelandite
Anatase
'Apatite'
Arsenic
Autunite ?
Behierite
Beryl
Bismuth
Brockite
Clinobisvanite
'Clinoptilolite'
Columbite-(Mn)
Danburite
Elbaite
'Elbaite-Schorl Series'
Hambergite
'Heulandite'
Hübnerite
Liddicoatite ?
Londonite (TL)
'Londonite-Rhodizite Series'
Manandonite (TL)
Microcline
Microlite Group
var: Cesstibtantite
var: Uranmicrolite (of Hogarth 1977)
Monazite-(Ce)
Opal
Quartz
Rhodizite
Scheelite
Schorl
Spessartine
Spodumene
Tantalite
'Tourmaline'
'var: Rubellite'
Xenotime-(Y)


39 entries listed. 27 valid minerals. 2 type localities (valid minerals). 1 erroneous literature entry.

The above list contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

- Dabren A. (1906): Sur quelques pierres précieuses de Madagascar. Bulletin de L'Academie malgache. Tananarive, 4:132-137 [First find of spodumen from Antandrokomby]

- Lacroix, A. (1908): Les minéraux des filons de pegmatite á tourmaline lithique de Madagascar. Bulletin de la Société Francaise de Minéralogie 31: 218- 247

- Lacroix, A. (1912): Sur quelques minéraux des pegmatites du Vakinankaratra (Madagascar). Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie, Paris 35 , 76-84 [on danburite and rhodizite]

- Lacroix, A. (1912): Sur une nouvelle espèce minérale (manandonite) des pegmatites de Madagascar. Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie, 35, 223-226

- Lacroix, A. (1922): Mineralogie de Madagascar, Tome I. Géologie-Minéralogie descriptive. A.Challamel (Éditeur), Paris. 624p.

- Behier, J. (1963): Carte mineralogique de Madagascar. Archive Service Géologique Madagascar. A 1871

- Ranorosoa, N. , Fontan, F. & Fransolet, A-M. (1989): Rediscovery of manandonite in the Sahatany Valley, Madagascar. European Journal of Mineralogy 1, 633-638

- Ranorosoa, N. (1986): Etude mineralogique des pegmatites du champ de la Sahatany, Madagascar. These de doctorat de L'Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulouse

- Zheng, H. & Bailey, S.W. (1995): The crystal structure of manandonite-2H2. American Mineralogist. 80: 387-393.

- Pezzotta F., Falster A.U., Simmons W.B. & Webber K.L. (1997): Rhodizite from Madagascar, new localities and new chemical data. Abstracts of the First International Workshop on Petrology, Milan, Italy, September 11 to 13, 1997, Mus. Storia Nat. Sc. Nat.

- Pezzotta, F. (1999): Madagaskar. Das Paradies der Mineralien und Edelsteine. Extra Lapis nr 17, pp 53-54 [german edition]

- Nizamoff, J.W.; Falster, A.U.; Pezzota, F. ; Simmons, W.B.; Hanson, S.L. and Webber, K.L. (2000): Recent mining at the Antandrokomby pegmatite, Madagascar. 26th Rochester Mineralogical Symposium. Rocks & Minerals, july 2000.

- Nizamoff, J. W.; Falster, A. U.; Pezzota, F.; Simmons, W. B. and Webber, K. L. (2000): Geochemical variation in tourmaline from Antandrokomby, Madagascar. 26th Rochester Mineralogical Symposium. Rocks & Minerals, july 2000.

- Simmons, W. B; Pezzotta, F; Falster, A.U & Webber, K. L. (2001): Londonite, a new mineral species: The Cs-dominant analogue of Rhodizite from the Antandrokomby granitic pegmatite, Madagascar. Canadian Mineralogist 39: 747-755

- Simmons, W.B., Webber, K.L., Falster, A.U., & Nizamoff, J. W. (2001): Gem tourmaline chemistry and paragenesis. Australian gemmologist 21, number 01.

- - Webber, K. L. Siimmons, W. B & Falster, A. U. (2002): Tourmaline from the Antandrokomby and Fianarantsoa Pegmatites, Madagascar. Mineralogical Record 33: 82

- Pezzotta, F.; Diella, V. & Demartin, F. (2003): Londonit aus Madagaskar- eine neue Mineralart. Lapis 35 (2), 35-38

This page is currently not sponsored. To sponsor this page click here.


Mineral and/or Locality
Search Google
 
Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2012. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them. Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. Mindat does not offer minerals for sale. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register.
Current server date and time: 4th Jan 2012 08:16:00
Mineral and Locality Search
Mineral:
and/or Locality:
Options
Fade toolbar when not in focusFix toolbar to bottom of page
Hide Social Media Links
Slideshow frame delay seconds