Corundum with Zoisite

specimen number:
2072256

location:
Mundarara Mine, Arusha, Tanzania

description:
Classic lapidary material for this locality, purplish red corundum masses throughout a green mass of zoisite.

The Mundarara Mine, located in the Longido District near Arusha, Tanzania, is a world-famous locality situated within the Neoproterozoic Mozambique Belt. Geologically, the deposit is a classic example of a "desilicated pegmatite" or plumasite, where aluminum-rich fluids intruded into magnesium-rich ultramafic rocks, resulting in the formation of massive green zoisite containing large crystals of red corundum (ruby). This striking combination of red ruby embedded in a bright green zoisite matrix is often referred to as "anyolite" and is unique to this specific region. Historically, the deposit was discovered in the late 1940s by colonial prospectors and saw its first significant commercial extraction in the early 1950s. While industrial quarrying for ruby-in-zoisite as a decorative stone peaked during the mid-to-late 20th century, the mine has operated intermittently for decades under various private and government-sanctioned leases. Today, Mundarara remains an active site for both lapidary material and mineral specimens, standing as the primary global source for this iconic geological association.

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