![]() ![]() ![]() Not much has changed in the last 20 years aside from the presence of a few large-scale mining ventures. On a recent trip to Madagascar, I was able to revisit some of the mines in the Ilakaka mining area that I had been to on previous trips. ![]() Artisanal production today has been significantly diminished due to the consequences of the pandemic, and large scale mining operations have been hindered by dramatic fuel cost increases.Įdward at artisanal miner’s hut in Banc Suisse, Ilakaka, Madagascar in 2003 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAĮdward with his cousin, Raphael Gübelin, in Ilakaka, Madagascar in 2022 For the next decade, Madagascar overshadowed Sri Lanka and Thailand as the highest producer of sapphires. In 1998, the Southern town of Ilakaka gained international attention as the source of one of the largest alluvial deposits of sapphires ever discovered. The presence of gemstones on the island was discovered approximately 200 years ago, and has since become recognized as a major source of sapphire, ruby, aquamarine, morganite, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, sphene and many other gems. Its sapphires likely formed 550-650 million years ago while the island was still part of the supercontinent of Gondwana. Approximately 150 million years ago, Madagascar separated from the African continent. The island remained connected to the Indian tectonic plate until 80 million years ago when India moved northward to ultimately collide with the Eurasian plate, creating the Himalayas and that region’s younger sapphires 40-50 million years ago. Madagascar’s gemstones are as diverse and beautiful as its flora and fauna. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |