No.3 August 2004
  
 
  What 's inside?

- Cover Page
- Forward
- Editor and Editional Review Board		    
 
       
 
  New Gem Mineral Species Pezzottaite: Occurrence and Mineralogy
 
PEZZOTTAITE ROUGH, CUT AND IN MATRIX
BOX 2 ORIGIN AND MINERALOGY (IMA)
ORIGIN
The mine deposit is located in central Madagascar, about 140 km southwest of Antsirabe (Coordinates 20° 44.78’ S and 46° 04.45’ E and at an elevation of 920m (3020 feet). The route to the mine leads to Ambatofinandrahana and passes through Amborompotsy and Mandrosonoro.

OCCURRENCE OF PEZZOTTAITE
Pezzottaite occurs in a miarolitic cavity in a mixed-feature granitic pegmatite (such pegmatites are fairly common in this region (Pezzotta 2001)). Pezzottaite crystallized from fluids in the cavity over a relatively large time-span forms both relatively early and late-stage crystals, the latter having (in some cases) Cs-enriched margins.

ASSOCIATED MINERALS
Boron-bearing minerals: tourmaline, danburite.
Lithium-bearing minerals: lepidolite and spodumene (kunzite)
Other silicates or oxides: quartz, K-feldspar (amazonite), albite (clevelandite)

 
Fig. P9 The position of the Pezzottaite mine within Central Madagascar    
 
Fig. P10 Occurence of pezzottaite in Li, Be, B and Cs-bearing pegmatites. The pockets containing pezzottaite are excavated in small shafts and tunnels. (Picture P10 and P11 as of spring 2003, courtesy of MJ3 Inc., New York)

Fig. P11 The mining camp and a view of the topography next to the mining site where the new gem mineral pezzottaite was found.