Vote for your favorite mineral in #MinCup26! - Sphalerite vs. Anorthite
Both zinc ore Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar Anorthite have perfect cleavage that will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes!
Log InRegister
Quick Links : The Mindat ManualThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryMindat Newsletter [Free Download]
Home PageAbout MindatThe Mindat ManualHistory of MindatCopyright StatusWho We AreContact UsAdvertise on Mindat
Donate to MindatCorporate SponsorshipSponsor a PageSponsored PagesMindat AdvertisersAdvertise on Mindat
Learning CenterWhat is a mineral?The most common minerals on earthInformation for EducatorsMindat ArticlesThe ElementsThe Rock H. Currier Digital LibraryGeologic TimeExplore Fossils
Minerals by PropertiesMinerals by ChemistryMineral Visual ExplorerAdvanced Locality SearchRandom MineralRandom LocalitySearch by minIDLocalities Near MeSearch ArticlesSearch GlossaryMore Search Options
Search For:
Mineral Name:
Locality Name:
Keyword(s):
 
The Mindat ManualAdd a New PhotoRate PhotosLocality Edit ReportCoordinate Completion ReportAdd Glossary Item
Mining CompaniesStatisticsUsersMineral MuseumsClubs & OrganizationsMineral Shows & EventsThe Mindat DirectoryDevice SettingsThe Mineral QuizTime Machine
Photo SearchPhoto GalleriesSearch by ColorPhoto Colour ExplorerNew Photos TodayNew Photos YesterdayMembers' Photo GalleriesPast Photo of the Day GalleryPhotography

Andranondambo sapphire deposits, Maromby, Amboasary Sud District, Anosy, Madagascari
Regional Level Types
Andranondambo sapphire depositsGroup of Deposits
MarombyCommune
Amboasary Sud DistrictDistrict
AnosyRegion
MadagascarCountry

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
PhotosMapsSearch
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
24° 25' 0'' South , 46° 34' 59'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Type:
Group of Deposits
Köppen climate type:
Mindat Locality ID:
29809
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:29809:7
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Other Languages:
Malagasy:
Fitandrahana safira any Andranondambo, Kaominin'i Maromby, Distrikan' Amboasary Atsimo, Faritr' Anosy, Madagasikara


Gem sapphires were rediscovered in 1991 close to the small village of Andranondambo. Earlier workings for phlogopite and thorianite already existed close to the village. The discovery caused a huge sapphire fever, and the village housed at times (1993-1997) nearly 100.000 people. The Andranondambo sapphire deposits cover an area about 3 km long and 0.5-1 km wide. Local miners have dug out a large number of small holes. They are often visible as 2-3m narrow sinkholes in the ground with underground shafts, some as deep as 20-30 m.
Most of the claims and diggings are now more or less abandoned (2009)
The sapphires are found in high-grade granulites in metamorphic rocks belonging to the Proterozoic Tranomaro group. They are formed in Th-U skarns belonging to the Pan-African granulitic formations.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

21 valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded


Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

'Amphibole Supergroup'
Formula: AB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Anorthite
Formula: Ca(Al2Si2O8)
Description: As common mineral in the skarn but also as colorless transparent 0,5 mm grains or as whitish crystals as inclusions or filling fissures in sapphires. The plagioclase inclusions were showed to be of an anorthite composition (Schwartz and Petsch 1996)
Baddeleyite
Formula: ZrO2
Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
Corundum
Formula: Al2O3
Corundum var. Ruby
Formula: Al2O3
Corundum var. Sapphire
Formula: Al2O3
Diaspore
Formula: AlO(OH)
Diopside
Formula: CaMgSi2O6
Description: De Grave et al (2002) studied a dark pyroxene crystals found in a calcite vein cutting across marbles and skarns.. It corresponded to a Fe- and Ti-bearing aluminian diopside.
Dolomite
Formula: CaMg(CO3)2
'Feldspar Group'
Fluorapatite
Formula: Ca5(PO4)3F
Fluorite
Formula: CaF2
Fluorophlogopite
Formula: KMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
Forsterite
Formula: Mg2(SiO4)
Hedenbergite
Formula: CaFe2+Si2O6
Colour: greenish brown
Description: As grains as inclusions in sapphire
Hibonite
Formula: CaAl12O19
'K Feldspar'
Phlogopite
Formula: KMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
'Pyroxene Group'
Formula: ADSi2O6
Quartz
Formula: SiO2
Quartz var. Chalcedony ?
Formula: SiO2
Description: Probably mislabelled specimen
Rutile
Formula: TiO2
Description: As microscopic inclusions in sapphire as oriented needlelike crystals
'Scapolite'
Spinel
Formula: MgAl2O4
'Spinel Subgroup'
Formula: A2+D3+2O4
Titanite
Formula: CaTi(SiO4)O
Wollastonite
Formula: Ca3(Si3O9)
Zircon
Formula: Zr(SiO4)
Zirconolite
Formula: CaZrTi2O7

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 3 - Halides
Fluorite3.AB.25CaF2
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
Spinel4.BB.05MgAl2O4
Corundum4.CB.05Al2O3
var. Ruby4.CB.05Al2O3
var. Sapphire4.CB.05Al2O3
Hibonite4.CC.45CaAl12O19
Quartz
var. Chalcedony ?
4.DA.05SiO2
4.DA.05SiO2
Rutile4.DB.05TiO2
Baddeleyite4.DE.35ZrO2
Zirconolite4.DH.30CaZrTi2O7
Diaspore4.FD.10AlO(OH)
Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
Calcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Dolomite5.AB.10CaMg(CO3)2
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
Fluorapatite8.BN.05Ca5(PO4)3F
Group 9 - Silicates
Forsterite9.AC.05Mg2(SiO4)
Zircon9.AD.30Zr(SiO4)
Titanite9.AG.15CaTi(SiO4)O
Diopside9.DA.15CaMgSi2O6
Hedenbergite9.DA.15CaFe2+Si2O6
Wollastonite9.DG.05Ca3(Si3O9)
Phlogopite9.EC.20KMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Fluorophlogopite9.EC.20KMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
Anorthite9.FA.35Ca(Al2Si2O8)
Unclassified
'Amphibole Supergroup'-AB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
'Feldspar Group'-
'Scapolite'-
'K Feldspar'-
'Pyroxene Group'-ADSi2O6
'Spinel Subgroup'-A2+D3+2O4

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
H Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
H DiasporeAlO(OH)
H PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
CCarbon
C CalciteCaCO3
C DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
OOxygen
O Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
O AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
O BaddeleyiteZrO2
O CalciteCaCO3
O Quartz var. ChalcedonySiO2
O CorundumAl2O3
O DiasporeAlO(OH)
O DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
O DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
O FluorapatiteCa5(PO4)3F
O ForsteriteMg2(SiO4)
O HedenbergiteCaFe2+Si2O6
O HiboniteCaAl12O19
O PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
O QuartzSiO2
O Corundum var. RubyAl2O3
O RutileTiO2
O Corundum var. SapphireAl2O3
O SpinelMgAl2O4
O TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
O WollastoniteCa3(Si3O9)
O ZirconZr(SiO4)
O ZirconoliteCaZrTi2O7
O Pyroxene GroupADSi2O6
O FluorophlogopiteKMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
O Spinel SubgroupA2+D23+O4
FFluorine
F Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
F FluorapatiteCa5(PO4)3F
F FluoriteCaF2
F FluorophlogopiteKMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
MgMagnesium
Mg DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
Mg DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
Mg ForsteriteMg2(SiO4)
Mg PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Mg SpinelMgAl2O4
Mg FluorophlogopiteKMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
AlAluminium
Al Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Al AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Al CorundumAl2O3
Al DiasporeAlO(OH)
Al HiboniteCaAl12O19
Al PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Al Corundum var. RubyAl2O3
Al Corundum var. SapphireAl2O3
Al SpinelMgAl2O4
Al FluorophlogopiteKMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
SiSilicon
Si Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Si AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Si Quartz var. ChalcedonySiO2
Si DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
Si ForsteriteMg2(SiO4)
Si HedenbergiteCaFe2+Si2O6
Si PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
Si QuartzSiO2
Si TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
Si WollastoniteCa3(Si3O9)
Si ZirconZr(SiO4)
Si Pyroxene GroupADSi2O6
Si FluorophlogopiteKMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
PPhosphorus
P FluorapatiteCa5(PO4)3F
ClChlorine
Cl Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
KPotassium
K PhlogopiteKMg3(AlSi3O10)(OH)2
K FluorophlogopiteKMg3(Si3Al)O10F2
CaCalcium
Ca AnorthiteCa(Al2Si2O8)
Ca CalciteCaCO3
Ca DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
Ca DolomiteCaMg(CO3)2
Ca FluorapatiteCa5(PO4)3F
Ca FluoriteCaF2
Ca HedenbergiteCaFe2+Si2O6
Ca HiboniteCaAl12O19
Ca TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
Ca WollastoniteCa3(Si3O9)
Ca ZirconoliteCaZrTi2O7
TiTitanium
Ti Amphibole SupergroupAB2C5((Si,Al,Ti)8O22)(OH,F,Cl,O)2
Ti RutileTiO2
Ti TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O
Ti ZirconoliteCaZrTi2O7
FeIron
Fe HedenbergiteCaFe2+Si2O6
ZrZirconium
Zr BaddeleyiteZrO2
Zr ZirconZr(SiO4)
Zr ZirconoliteCaZrTi2O7

Localities in this Region

  • Anosy
    • Amboasary Sud District
      • Maromby
        • Andranondambo sapphire deposits

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

AfricaContinent
African Plate
Madagascar
Somali PlateTectonic Plate

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

 
and/or  
Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 3, 2026 17:06:18 Page updated: March 31, 2026 20:51:20
Go to top of page