Title

Miracle at Merelani: A remarkable occurrence of graphite, diopside and associated minerals from the Karo Mine, Block D, Merelani Hills, Arusha Region, Tanzania

Authors

John A. Jaszczak, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Daniel Trinchillo, Fine Minerals International

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

The gem mines of the Merelani Hills, Arusha Region, Tanzania (fig. 1), are well known for tanzanite, the purple-blue gem variety of zoisite first discovered there in the 1960s. Other gem-quality minerals have since been mined at the locality, including crystals of the mint-green grossular known as tsavorite and lustrous green prismatic crystals of diopside. As modern mining methods at TanzaniteOne Mining Ltd. (Arusha, Tanzania) expand in Block C, and as more primitive mining methods continue in Blocks A, B, and D, fine-quality gem specimens and interesting mineral specimens continue to be available. A comprehensive review of the history, geology, and mineralogy of these mines has been given by Wilson et al. (2009).

Publisher's Statement

© 2013 Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group Publisher's version of record: https://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2013.763671

Publication Title

Rocks and Minerals

Recommended Citation

Jaszczak, J. A., & Trinchillo, D. (2013). Miracle at Merelani: A remarkable occurrence of graphite, diopside and associated minerals from the Karo Mine, Block D, Merelani Hills, Arusha Region, Tanzania. Rocks and Minerals, 88(2), 154-165. http://doi.org/10.1080/00357529.2013.763671
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/physics-fp/47