MADAGASCAR GEM SAFARI,geology, mineralogy, geological data on ruby and sapphire

Sapphires from Andranondambo, discovered in 1991. ( South-Eastern Madagascar )	In 1658, Flacourt, the governor of Fort-Dauphin, mentions
	sapphires in southern Madagascar.
	In 1808, Barthélemy Hugon writes that in the valley of
	Ambolo there is a so beautiful stone and so rare that his
	lapidaries have not been able to recognize it and it was
	above of all that is not diamond. ... In 1991, at the time of
	the great dryness in the south, sapphire samples are found,
	several centuries after their first discovery. The son of Mrs.
	Dauphine, innkeeper in Tranomaro, main village of the
	valley, was among the prospectors.
	Actually, one of the most beautiful sapphire quality in the
	world is just leaving ground.

			The Tranomaro area is characterized by an
		extreme calcic and magnesian paragneiss abundance:
		Gneiss with diopside, plagioclasites, pyroxenites,
		wernerites, wolastonite marble, with varied
		leptynites, generally with garnet, kinzigites, quarzites.
		One finds there rather frequently syenitic gneisses
		or lamboanites. Gneisses of injection are very
		frequent.
		The typomorphic minerals are: basic diopside,
		scapolite, calcite, plagioclases,
		wollastonite, garnet, cordierite and corundum.
		East of Tranomaro, arteritic and eyesys injections
		assign gneisses at leptynites. Cordierite gneiss stripes
		are deeply injected bed by bed, the injection has
		introduced magnetite in abundance.
		Wollastonites form ptymatic lenses with
	Marohotro, 8 km. south from Andanondambo.	folds very tortured at the middle of the limestone.
The sapphire on the left comes from Ambandanira, and		Note:aluminous anorthites or sakenites.
that on right-hand side from Maromby
(area of Andranondambo)

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Sapphires from Ilakaka.	One of the various holes in sandstone forming
( South-Western Madagascar )	the deposit of Ilakaka discovered in to 1998.


Blue sapphires , pink and violet, Ilakaka area.
	ISALO SANDSTONES.
	The white sandstones of Isalo present imposing
	stratifications intersected with gravel beds and
	small conglomerates.
	These soft sandstones resisted to erosion and taken a
	ruiniform relief because the presence of braces siliceous
	veins.
	The mineral-bearing deposits include : a deposit of generally
	classified gravels, the richest part and larger elements
	being at the base of the bed - rock.

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		The far-south of Madagascar, semi-desert, does not present
Polychromatic sapphires from Iankaroka discovered in 1990.
		any asphalt road yet, dust and trepidations are the daily
		lot of any traveller. Sunsets and the natural life of its
		inhabitants offer an appreciable compensation.


Rubies from Ianavoha. (Southern Madagascar.)

Ruby from Andranomilitsy (Vohitany)		Syenitic-nephelinic vein of rubies in Andranomilitsy.

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	In Soamiakatra, rubies were sold with sunglasses.	The Mayor of Soamiakatra in 1989, (East of Antsirabe.) Rubies from Soamiakatra in the highlands. Here, rubies are always found in alluvium. MADAGASCAN CORUNDUMS

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BLUE SAPPHIRE NATURAL COLOR

Sapphire from Analafady (Ambondromifehy) North.




		The Ambondromifehy alluvial deposit is exploited since
		1996. It is located in a Jurassic limestone, but the origin of
		sapphires is in alkaline basalts from the close volcanic zone.

			Mahatsara ( Ambondromifehy)