Axinite-Mn

specimen number:
9711779

location:
Merelani Hills, Simanjiro, Manyara, Tanzania

description:
A loose partly gemmy lustrous crystal of axinite, this the manganese and member of the species. In good condition. Some people zoisite is present. Complete all around.

The Merelani Hills in Simanjiro, Manyara, Tanzania, famous as the exclusive commercial source of tanzanite, were discovered in 1967 following initial finds by local herders and prospector Manuel d'Souza, transitioning from open artisanal pits to a regulated block-concession mining system that remains active today. Geologically, the deposit sits within the Mozambique Belt, consisting of intensely folded, graphite-rich metamorphic rocks, gneisses, and calc-silicate lenses that underwent high-grade regional metamorphism and hydrothermal activity, which also produced rare borosilicate minerals like manganese-dominant axinite featuring distinct wedge-shaped crystal structures.

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