Madagascar is an island with a surface area of 587,041 km² and is one of the largest islands in the world, with a population of around 30,000. A popular tourist destination, the island is celebrated for its lemurs, which come in many varieties. There are more than 30 varieties of lemurs on the large island, and many other species of animals. However, in this article, instead of telling you about the animals of Madagascar, we will tell you about the famous metals on the island. More than the sifakas, and the chameleons of the island, we will tell you about bauxite, feldspar and feldspathoid, silica and sapphire in the article.

We will see with you in the article the list of the minerals present in Madagascar and listed with you the minerals exploited in the island.

Bauxite

A sedimentary rock found in the northwest of the island, bauxite is used in the manufacture of cement for its abrasive qualities. The rock is red in colour, and in Madagascar the rock is found in lateritic clay fields.

The rock is derived from the dissolution of iron into soluble minerals, from which it gets its colour. Bauxite can be white depending on the iron it contains.

One of the processes for extracting bauxite is the bayer process, where the bauxite is crushed and soda is added.

Feldspar

Feldspar is a common ore to mine, it is a white stone with a brittle appearance. The ore is generally exploited for the manufacture of glass and ceramics in Madagascar. Numerous deposits have been found on the island and the stone is known to the island’s inhabitants.

Silica: quartz

Silica is a material found in sand, or in the form of stones in the form of quartz. It is found near Tananarive, the capital of Madagascar, or near the province of Majunga, and Tamatave.

Silica has many uses, it cures cancer and is used in the automobile, aviation, maritime transport, construction, household equipment, electrical cables, and packaging. The stone has been worked for many years in Madagascar, by the search for granite, but has never been used intensively.

Sapphire

Madagascar is a sapphire-producing country, with around 40% of the world’s sapphire production coming from the red island. In Madagascar the activity is often clandestine, but many people practice it. The stone can be found in pink, orange, yellow, purple and black. An attraction for adventure lovers, the sapphire mines are located near the Ilakaka region in the southwest of the island.

Tantalum

Rare mineral numbered 73 in the periodic table. Tantalum is used in electrical circuits. In Madagascar, the ore is mined in the north of the island. The extraction of the ore requires deep drilling and the use of chemicals.

Ilmenite

Mined in the Fort Dauphin region, ilmenite is a mineral species that consists of iron oxide and titanium. The mineral is mined in the region by the company QMM using the Kroll process to extract the iron and titanium.

Lateritic nickel

An element of the periodic table, nickel is present in Madagascar. In Madagascar the metal is found on the eastern side of the island. Madagascar extracts nickel from its mines and receives rebates and royalties at a fixed rate, calculated on the value of its production.

Natural graphite

Madagascar is the second largest exporter of natural graphite, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, after China. The mineral is used to make lithium-ion batteries for car manufacturers. Madagascar has 800 million tonnes of the metal.

Zircon

Zircon is a fine stone that is sometimes referred to as a gemstone. It is a chemical element of the silicate group, which is used in nuclear reactors. In Madagascar the mineral is found in deposits in the south of the country. It is sometimes used in jewellery.

Tungsten

Chemical element number 74 with the symbol W (from the German Wolfram). Its name in French comes from the Swedish tung (“heavy”) and sten (“stone”) and therefore means “heavy stone”.

Pure tungsten is a hard metal, ranging in colour from steel grey to tin white. Tungsten is used on a daily basis in the form of “tungsten sub-carbide” “W2C”, for light bulb filaments and electrodes. Its production in 2008 is 55,900 t, its reserves are 2,800,000 t. The material is found naturally in the south of Madagascar.

Gold

The most precious metal on earth, gold is mined in Madagascar, with the island extracting 3,000 kg of gold daily. The Ampoasary River, a tributary of the Mananjary River, is known to have hosted the main alluvial gold deposits of the island. The mines are not accessible to the public.