A note on new materials and minerals in Madagascar

Abstract

Beryllium and monazite (with graphite and mica) are two of the most important products of the Malagasy mining industry. The rare earths, mainly in the form of columbo-tantalates, are fairly frequently met with in Madagascar. They show unusual types of mineralization. Apart from their mineralogical curiosity value, the uses to which the rare earths are now put make them of increasing interest. Beryl, an ore of beryllium, together with the rare earth minerals, form deposits in pegmatites distributed in "fields" at random along the magmatic front that traverses the Island.