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 Madagascar. The paradise of minerals and gemstones.
 by Federico Pezzotta

 The Red Island
 Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, and an incredible wealth of minerals and gemstones is scattered throughout the country. This wealth was formed by a turbulent geological history with countless mineralization processes.
 In this monograph, Madagascar specialist Federico Pezzotta from the Natural History Museum of Milan reports on the origin, distribution, and extraction of minerals and gemstones. He guides the reader to the sites that often yield the world's finest specimens of many species.

 Contents:
 Ores, gold and precious stones. The history of mineral and gemstone prospecting in Madagascar/The mineralogy of Madagascar. Literature, Tradition and Collections: A Source Overview/Over 3.5 Billion Years Old/Rocks and Ores in Madagascar: Geological Overview/Gold from Ancient Volcanoes/The Pan-African Event: Gemstones, Ores and Alpine Fissures/Karoo Sediments/Sapphires from Ancient Volcanoes/The "Red Island"/Finds in Basic Skarns: The Bongolava Shear Zone/Giant Crystals from Skarns/The Betroka-Beraketa Belt/Itrongay/Uranium-Thorianite, Sapphire and Zircon Skarns/Rich Pegmatites: On Their Formation/New Classification of Pegmatites/The Major Mining Districts of Madagascar and the "Antsongombato Gem Mine"/Alpine Fissures: The Vohemar Region/Titanite Fissure from February 1998/The Future of Alpine Fissures in Madagascar/Amethyst and Other Quartz: Amethyst, Smoky quartz, citrine: scepters, pineapples and fantastic inclusions/Celestines, sapphires and fossils: treasures from paleo- and mesozoic sediments.

 With cover, 100 pages in lapis format (21 x 30 cm). Published: 1999