Africanda
Thanks to the
authors mentioned below, and especially Diederik Visser for the
fantastic calcio-ancylite-(Ce) !!
Africanda is a bit
difficult. I had a hard time deciding whether to take it in or not.
Nor eudialyte around, and no syenites. But I decided to include it,
and if only for the proximity to Khibiny and Lovozero and for it
being an alkaline-ultrabasic massif.
It is situated on the
southern shore of Lake Imandra (see Khibiny). The intrusion cuts
through gneisses and amphibolites. An external ring consists of
alkaline pyroxenites (aegirine-augite/nepheline) and fine grained
pyroxenites containing apatite layers. Towards the center the
pyroxenites are more fine grained up to massive grey-geen rocks.
There are also olivinites (as xenolites) and
calcite-amphibole-pyroxene rocks, all intruded by alkaline
pegmatites.
The massif was
discovered in 1917, and it´s richness in perovskite in 1935.
Today there is an open pit/quarry in the center of the massif.
Mineral list
(bold = type locality):
- Ancylite-(Ce)
- Baddeleyite
- Barite
- Betafite
- Biotite
- Bradleyite
- Britolite-(Ce)
- Burbankite
- Cafetite
- Calcioancylite-(Ce)
- Calcite
- Calzirtite
- Cancrinite
- Chlorite grp.
- Diopside
- Ferrohornblende
- Fersmite
- Forsterite
- Hematite
- Hydroxylapatite
- Ilmenite
- Kassite
- Khanneshite
- Lamprophyllite
- Lizardite
- Loparite
- Lueshite
- Magnesiohastingsite
- Magnetite
- Natrolite
- Nyererite
- Perovskite
- Phlogopite
- Pyrochlore
- Prehnite
- Rutile
- Schorlomite
- Shortite
- Strontianite
- Thorutite
- Thorianite
- Titanite
- Vermiculite
- Vesuvianite
Zirconolite
Zirkelite
- &Suggested
reading:
- Britvin,S.N., G.U.Ivanyuk,
V.N.Yakuvenchuk: Mineralogical excursions on the Kola Peninsula, IV.
The Africanda Massif. World of Stones 5/6, 1995, „Kola! A
special issue“pp. 56-57
- The same in German: same
authors: Mineralogische Exkursionen auf der Halbinsel Kola,
Laplandia Minerals Ltd., Apatity, 1994, pp.66-71
- Chakhmouradian, AR et al:
Calcite-amphibole-clinopyroxene rock from the Afrikanda complex,
Kola Peninsula, Russia: Mineralogy and a possible link to
carbonatites. I.Oxide minerals, CANADIAN MINERALOGIST 37(1999),
177-198
- Zaitsev,AN et al.:
Calcite-amphibole-clinopyroxene rock from the Afrikanda Complex,
Kola Peninsula, Russia: Mineralogy and a possible link to
carbonatites. II. Oxysalt minerals. CANADIAN MINERALOGIST, 40(2002),
103-120
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