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NEW RUBY MINE DISCOVERY IN MADAGASCAR |
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News from the front... John sees red ! |
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è |
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10am, accompanied by two guides, John decides to undertake a risky |
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trek towards the forest. A new ruby mine having supposedly been |
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unearthed. |
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On the road, near the small village of Behorefo, they encounter malasos |
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(highway bandits) to which they ask directions for their path. |
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Relieved from a gold signet ring and of John’s camera, the small team follows the |
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malasos who lead them on a winding trail through the hills to Befelatanana. |
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(Fortunately, John had brought his backup camera, the one with which he took the |
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pictures you’re seeing.) |
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Bushfires ravaged the forest. Started by farmers in order to offer new cultures areas. |
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This young boy is a malaso son. |
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His eyes can shoot you at a glance. |
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Arriving at a clearing, John’s guides are hungry, so, the |
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malasos hunt a rodent, a Tsandraka. |
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After a three hour walk, they cross a river infested with crocodiles. The malasos |
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abandon them. Several hours into and through the undergrowth will follow next, |
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the deposit is reached at 5pm. |
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Forty men are working there, they are Nosymboahangy and |
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they prohibit photography. |
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In a makeshift hut, the team spends a very cool night during which one of the |
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guides catches a cold and a headache. |
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But in the morning, surprise! The first rubies are presented. They are not |
very big, but their quality is outstanding. Thus it’s in Didy where small sapphires came out of |
the forest, sporadically, for over a year. Here, some rubies display a red colour that makes one |
want to bite into them ! |
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Often buried shallow, rubies are extracted using crowbars and shovels from |
alluvial conglomerates, these having served them as shrouds over millions |
of years. |
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Artisanal sieve used to separate gems from alluvial conglomerates. |
The holes are made by using a nail. |
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Sivany, sifting gemmiferous gravel in river. |
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In the morning, the makeshift tents huddled under a sky laden with moisture |
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see their occupants emerge from their dreams. As fog at treetops, these |
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draming brackets will remain clinging to the miners’soul until they find what |
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they were looking for. |
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The bottom of the air remains fresh at this hour. One try to warm hands, |
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either in his pockets, or close to a fire. |
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The sosoa, wet rice usually served at breakfast, has been absorbed without |
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restraint. Sated and bulging belly, men are ready to resume their mission. |
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Within the rainy season, holes |
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quickly become inexploitable. |
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Mixture of gravel and pebbles, |
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alluvial conglomerates attest |
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to the painstaking work done |
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by miners. |
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Buckets, crowbars , shovels, sieves : the basic material of miners. |
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Rubies from this region have been found in alluvium, |
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but probably come from endomorpheous feldspatic |
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rocks. In fact, we frequently found corundums |
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showing flat faces in feldspatic rocks in Madagascar. |
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Mixture of gravel and pebbles, alluvial conglomerates |
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attest to the painstaking work done by miners. |
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Near the tents, gemmiferous sand is stored waiting to be screened ... |
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This sandbox is the real safety deposit box of miners, a safety deposit box |
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that contains perhaps one or more lottery tickets. |
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In the morning, this miner left the camp a screen on the back. |
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After being emptied of their |
gems, holes are quickly |
abandoned. |
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Watching a rough ruby with a halogen lamp. |
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