Manjaka, Sahatany Valley, Ibity, Antsirabe II District, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar

An sample of the Manjaka elbaite subtype granite pegmatite, Sahatany Valley, Madagascar showing the sharp contact with its host rock, a Mg-rich, calc-silicate rock (in the lower part of the photo). A line with small brownish tourmaline, probably of the dravite-uvite series (not analyzed) is seen crossing the host rock. In the pegmatite red ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen

A group of 2 behierite crystals in matrix. Size of the group: 4mm across. With rhodizite (at right), and a partly hidden platy crystal of manganocolumbite. Collected at Manjaka in 1998. Photo & Collection (# M-610): Knut Edvard Larsen

© Knut Edvard Larsen

A 8mm across sharp, pale grayish-pink flattened tetragonal bipyramidal crystal of behierite in matrix. With grey quartz, microcline, and some rhodizite. Collected at the dumps of the mine in january 2000. Photo & collection (# M-608) Knut Edvard Larsen

© Knut Edvard Larsen

Large 1x1.2 cm grey tetragonal bipyramidal crystal of Behierite into cavity at the center of 7x5x3 cm pegmatite specimen. Associating minerals are yellowish grain of Danburite (in the lower right corner of the specimen), bright pink Elbaite (var. Rubellite), white Albite platy xls and smoky Quartz. Analytical data are available on the daughter ...

© Pavel M. Kartashov collection & photo

A crystal of Behierite with Rubellite in pegmatite matrix from Manjaka in the Sahatany valley, Madagascar. Specimen and photo: Knut Eldjarn.

© Knut Eldjarn

A sharp brown strongly refrigent 3mm large hafnian zircon crystal embedded in white spodumen with grey quartz and red tourmaline. VOF = 1cm. Collected at the dumps at Manjaka in mai 1998. Materiale analyzed by Skip Simmons, New Orleans, USA in 1999. Collection & Photo: Knut Edvard Larsen

© Knut Edvard Larsen

A light brownish crystal of behierite. Picture size 5 mm. Photographer and collection Thomas Witzke.

© Thomas Witzke and Abraxas-Verlag

A 4mm brownish-grey flattened tetragonal pyramidal crystal with a smaller sidecar crystal perched on pegmatite matrix. Associated with bright pink, roughly formed Rubellite tourmaline. L.Rantos collection.

© 2004 L. Rantos collection

Fan of Rubellite crystals with blue Manganese-bearing fluorapatite Sample size: 7 x 4,5 cm Collection and photo: Arliguie M

© Arliguie M

Blue manganese-bearing fluorapatite. Old sample collected in the 50s. Collection and photo: Arliguie M.

© M Arliguie

Picture size is 25mm

© Elmar Lackner

2 parallellgrowing platy, crystals of Columbite-(Mn) with white-yellowish, altered danburite (clearily seen just above the crystals), white microcline and greyish quartz etc in matrix from Manjaka, Sahatany Valley, Madagascar. Found at the dumps of Manjaka in febr. 1998. Fov: 2 cm Photo & collection (# M-639): Knut Edvard Larsen

© Knut Edvard Larsen

4 triangular sections of yellowish crystals of Danburite up to 2 cm within pegmatite matrix. Associating minerals are bright pink Elbaite (var. Rubellite), white Albite platy xls and smoky Quartz. Specimen size is 7x5x3 cm. Pavel M. Kartashov collection and scan.

© Pavel M. Kartashov collection & photo

Large 1x1.2 cm grey tetragonal bipyramidal crystal of Behierite into cavity of pegmatite matrix. Associating minerals are bright pink Elbaite (var. Rubellite), white Albite platy xls and smoky Quartz. FOV is ~4x3.5 cm. Pavel M. Kartashov collection and scan.

© Pavel M. Kartashov collection & photo

A 7mm xl of Behierite. C. Stefano specimen #1728.

© C. Stefano '08

Three greyish pale pink crystals of behierite embedded in matrix. The largest one measures 1 cm across. Parts of red tourmaline and yellowish, glassy rhodizite can be seen in the right side of the picture. Found at Manjaka in february 2000. Photo & collection: Knut Edvard Larsen

© Knut Edvard Larsen

Beautiful blue Manganese-bearing fluorapatite (formerly apatite-(CaF)) with minor red tourmaline 17mm x 2mm. Gift from Knut Larsen. (Norway) JR Montgomery Collection cat.#129

© JR Montgomery

A single and very typically coloured crystal of béhierite - the unique tantalum(V) orthoborate, among elbaite and a feldspar. The XRF lines of Ta and Nb in this case seem to represent relatively similar area, but Ta seems to be dominant. A tiny admixture of W seems to be possible, too.

© Łukasz Kruszewski 2018

Radial aggregate of accicular crystals of Vránaite up to 0.35 mm in spodumene-rich pegmatite. BSE image.

Radial aggregate of accicular crystals of Vránaite up to 0.75 mm in spodumene-rich pegmatite. BSE image.

Spodumene crystals var Kunzite Ex J. BEHIER collection Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel

Complex crystal of orange-brown hafnian zircon in quartz-rich matrix. As exposed, and measured diagonally, the crystal is 2.7 mm in greatest dimension. Collection and photograph Norman King.

© Norman King

5.7 x 3.7 x 2.5 cm. Crystals of the londonite-rhodiziteseries is one of the more impressive rare minerals that have been found in Madagascar. It has been found in only three localities outside Madagascar: Ural Mountains of Russia at Schaitansk, in England, and in Wisconsin. Before the discovery of rhodizite in Madagascar, the largest known ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

A SEM-photo of a hafnian Zircon crystal from Manjaka, Sahatany Valley, Madagascar. The crystal is showing an unusual morphology for zircons, lacking prism faces. The color is brown and the crystal is strongly refrigent. This specimen together with 5 similar samples were sent to Skip Simmons, University of New Orleans, USA and analyzed by him in ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen/ Skip Simmons

Large rombododecahedral crystal of white Phenakite in smoky Quartz matrix. Associating mineral is Magnetite (not visible at the photo). Pavel M. Kartashov collection and scan.

© Pavel M. Kartashov collection & photo

In Coll. M.Slama Canon EOS 600D with Tamron SP AF 90mm 2,8 Di VC USD Macro , stacked from 25 Images using Zerene Stacker (Dmap)

© Martin Slama

2 and 1.5 cm size sections of octahedral crystals of Magnetite with typical partition ingrown into basement of big crystal of Phenakite in association with smoky Quartz. Size of the whole specimen is 6x4x4 cm. These crystals are strong magnetic. Pavel M. Kartashov collection and scan.

© Pavel M. Kartashov collection & photo

A part of a sample collected by Jean Behier in 1953 at Manjaka, Sahatany Vallley, Madagascar (see child photo for label). Black flattened, bend, ruler-shaped crystals of columbite-(Mn) in white feldspar with red tourmaline. FOV: 8 cm The piece is exhibited in the Musée National de la Geologie at Ampandrianomby in Antananarivo, Madagascar. ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen

Etched like creamy Crystal of Pollucite Ex J. BEHIER collection Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel

for this Location very large phenakite xl In Coll. M.Slama Canon EOS 600D with Tamron SP AF 90mm 2,8 Di VC USD Macro , stacked from 32 Images using Zerene Stacker (Dmap)

© Martin Slama

In Coll. M. Slama Canon EOS 600D with Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x, stacked from 23 Images using Zerene Stacker (Dmap)

© Martin Slama

Albite crystals with black Columbite (Mn) blades and pink Rubellite Ex J. Behier collection (see label) Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel

Blue patch of Fluorapatite (Mn) and Rubellite on Quartz. Old sample. Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel.

A 2 cm wide vug lined with dull yellowish globular aggregates of manandonite. Accessory in the vug are quartz and greenishblack tourmaline. Matrix : quartz ( glassy ) and greyish white K feldspar. From the Manjaka pegmatite, Sahatany Valley, Ibity, Antsirabe II District, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar. Collected at the dump in april 1999. My ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen

2 black Crystals of Columbite- (Mn) (the smallest is terminated) with white Albite Old sample Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel

Grey Crystal of Rhodizite Old sample Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel

nice specimen of pale yellow rhodizite xls in feldspar. rare to see specimens with more than one xl In Coll. M.Slama Canon EOS 600D with Tamron SP AF 90mm 2,8 Di VC USD Macro , stacked from 34 Images using Zerene Stacker (Dmap)

© Martin Slama

A 3.5 cm long and 2 cm wide group of parallellgrowing redcolored tourmaline crystals on pegmatite matrix, with pale yellowish londonite-rhodizite crystal (one of them unfortunately damaged) on top of the tourmalines, and white k feldspar and some quartz. From the Manjaka pegmatite, Sahatany Valley, Ibity, Antsirabe II District, Vakinankaratra, ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen

5.7 x 3.7 x 2.5 cm. Rhodizite is one of the more impressive rare minerals that have been found in Madagascar. It has been found in only three localities outside Madagascar: Ural Mountains of Russia at Schaitansk, in England, and in Wisconsin. Before the discovery of rhodizite in Madagascar, the largest known crystals were found in Russia and they ...

© Rob Lavinsky & irocks.com

A specimen from the Manjaka pegmatite, Sahatany valley, Ibity, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar showing two different habitus of tourmaline: As 2 cm long fan-like aggregates of pale red thin stick-like crystals and shorter, thicker crystals in a cavitity .The crystals have a greenish core and dark red rim. With greyish quartz (with a corroded and ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen

A 11 mm long preusserblue-colored crystal of manganese-bearing fluorapatite in red tourmaline in matrix of quartz. From Manjaka pegmatite, Sahatany valley, Ibity, Antsirabe II, Vakinankaratra, Madagascar. Collected in april 1999. My collection nr M-301

© Knut Edvard Larsen

A very large malformed crystal with two small "sidecars" and a pink tourmaline crystal. A fracture on the back of the sample allows the translucency of the behierite to be seen.

Pale brown Béhierite crystal. Collection Molin Lee

© Molin Lee

Sliced specimen of author's material of the new species vranaite, present as very thin, white veinlets in colourless spodumene & albite, with scattered blue aggregates of manganese-bearing fluorapatite. Purchased from Luigi Chiappino in 2025. Stack of 48 images.

© Andrew Hodgson

londonite-rhodizite series is one of the more impressive rare minerals that have been found in Madagascar. It has been found in only three localities outside Madagascar: Ural Mountains of Russia at Schaitansk, in England, and in Wisconsin. Before the discovery of rhodizite in Madagascar, the largest known crystals were found in Russia and they ...

© Rob Lavinsky & MineralAuctions.com

Bityite nodules on Microcline with minor Elbaite. Collection and photo : Arliguie Michel

In Coll. M.Slama Canon EOS 600D with Tamron SP AF 90mm 2,8 Di VC USD Macro , stacked from 27 Images using Zerene Stacker

© Martin Slama

Prismatic rubellite in quartz/feldspar pegmatite; also present on specimen is behierite - see related images S420-798 N7569N

© 2024 JGW

White Bityite nodules. Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel.

Pale pink Kunzite with raspberry Elbaite. From an old collection of a CEA prospector from the 1960s. Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel.

Small greyish pink partial behierite crystals in quartz / felspar S420-797 N7569N

© 2024 JGW

Extraordinary large cream-colored béhierite crystal from its type locality: Manjaka, Madagascar. Obtained from Steffen Michalski.

© Uwe Haubenreisser

A white 5 mm crystal of behierite with elbaite from Manjaka, Sahatany Valley, Madagascar.

© Knut Eldjarn

Faceted monazite-(Ce) crystal, lustrous and deep brown in color.

Rhodizite is one of the more impressive rare minerals that have been found in Madagascar. It has been found in only three localities outside Madagascar: Ural Mountains of Russia at Schaitansk, in England, and in Wisconsin. Before the discovery of rhodizite in Madagascar, the largest known crystals were found in Russia and they only measured up to ...

© Rob Lavinsky & MineralAuctions.com

A nearly colourrless 5 mm crystal of behierite with elbaite from Manjaka, Sahatany Valley, Madagascar.

© Knut Eldjarn

White Phenakite faceted stone. In the collection of 兰德纵贯文化发展（北京）有限公司.

White Phenakite faceted stone, weighing 15.37 carats. In the collection of 兰德纵贯文化发展（北京）有限公司

Columbite-(Mn) on Albite. From the collection of a former prospector of the French Atomic Energy Commission. Mid-sixties. Collection and photo: Arliguie Michel.

Phenakite crystals from Manjaka, Sahatany valley, Ibity. Madagascar.

© Knut Eldjarn

Part of the overgrown Manjaka quarry as it looked like in december 1996. In the foreground, partly hidden in the grass can be seen a dump especially rich in rhodizite, spodumene, columbite-(Mn) and hafnian zircon. The summit of Mt.Ibity (Ibity massif) can be seen in the background. Photo scanned from a color slide Photo: Knut Edvard Larsen

© Knut Edvard Larsen

Approaching (from South) the workings at Manjaka pegmatite in the Sahatany Valley, Madagascar. This is the type locality for behierite. At the time of the photo (des. 1999) most of the area was covered by corn and bean fields, and difficult to find if not for easily visible dump. Photo: Knut Edvard Larsen, taken in desember 1999. [Photo ...

© Knut Edvard Larsen