corundum, Madagascar.12, Malagasy, gems

Behier presents a descriptive survey of minerals and mineral occurrences in Madagascar, supplementing earlier mineralogical work with observations and locality information gathered by the Malagasy Geological Service. Particular attention is given to minerals from the island’s numerous pegmatites, with records from localities including Ambatosoratra, Befanamo, Maharidaza, Miarinkofeno, Ambatoharanana, Manakana, Ambalalehifotsy, Riampotsy, Androbe, and others. The work documents a wide variety of mineral species and their associations and occurrences, providing locality data that subsequently became an important source for the mineralogical geography of Madagascar. It is primarily a systematic contribution to descriptive and regional mineralogy rather than a general geological treatment, and forms part of Behier’s broader documentation of Madagascar’s exceptionally diverse mineral resources.