Zircon

specimen number:
2282016

location:
Tranomaro, Anosy, Madagascar

description:
Sharp crystals of zircon measuring to 1.3 cm in length on matrix. The specimen comes with several previous labels as shown at the end of the video.

The region of Tranomaro, located in the Anosy region of southeastern Madagascar, features a highly mineralized Precambrian crystalline basement rich in calcomagnesian skarns and uranothorianite-bearing pyroxenites. Geologically, these formations are known for hosting significant thorium and uranium oxide mineralization, as well as exceptional deposits of the rare gem-quality mineral grandidierite. Open-pit quarrying and mining operations in Tranomaro were heavily developed during the 1950s and 1960s by the French Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA) to supply nuclear development projects. Following decades of abandonment, these historic skarn deposits have experienced a resurgence of interest from modern exploration companies seeking alternative energy resources and rare gemstone materials.

Operating out of 1454 Odell Street in Wantagh, New York, the mineral dealership known as The Lesnicks was a notable fixture of the mid-century American specimen collecting community. Managed by Stan Lesnick during the 1960s, the business offered free printed specimen lists and engaged widely in the mail-order trade and material exchanges. The dealership was particularly known among regional collectors for supplying well-preserved Middle Devonian fossils, fluorescent minerals from Franklin, New Jersey, and sharp fluorite and sphalerite crystal clusters from the classic mining districts of southern Illinois.

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