Sahatany Pegmatite Field is situated ca 25 km SW of the town Antsirabe, and covers an area about 150 km2. This area is in older literature referred to as "Mt. Bity area" (for example in Am. Min. (1916) vol 1, 17-34.) More than 100 pegmatites of both beryl type LCT pegmatites and complex type LCT pegmatites are found in this area, and many of them has been worked for gem polychromatic tourmalines, rose beryl, spodumene, rose quartz etc. An inventory of the pegmatites is found in Rakotoarison, W. (1964):"Les pegmatites de la Sahatany." Archive du Service Géologique Madagascar. A.1983, p.1-39.
The pegmatites (age: panafrican event ca 550 MA) are hosted in a precambrian tectonic unit that is consisting mainly of schists, quartzites and marbles (série schisto-quartzo-dolomitique).
Best references:
Lacroix, A. (1912): "Sur quelques minéraux des pegmatites du Vakinankaratra (Madagascar), Soc. franc.min 35 , 76-78
A.Lacroix(1922-23): Mineralogie de Madagascar I-III.
Ranorosoa N (1986): Etude mineralogique des pegmatites du champ de la Sahatany, Madagascar. These de Doctorat de l`Universite Paul Sabatier, Toulose.
Lefevre, M. & Thomas, L.(1998):"Les pegmatites de la vallée de la Sahatany, Madagascar" in Le Règne Minéral no 19, 15-28
Larsen, K.E.: " Mineralene i Sahatany pegmatittfelt, Madagaskar" in Bergverksmuseets skrifter 25, 5-18(in norwegian)
