SENEGALITE - Kouroudiako, Senegal

The iron deposit of Kouroudiako, located in the valley of Falémé, in Eastern Senegal, constitutes the type-locality of sénégalite, an aluminium phosphate described in 1976. This isolated locality which seemed forgotten by mineralogists, was prospected recently by us providing new cristallizations of this rare mineral associated with other phosphates.

After several trips in Eastern Senegal near Kouroudiako, in March 2000 we had the occasion to go for the first time on the Kouroudiako. This site, where the samples studied by Z Johan during the 70's were collected, was again explored to provide new specimens of this 'exhausted' famous locality. To the occasion of the following dry seasons, two other missions will enable us to note the reduced size of the mineral-bearing zone left. Thus relatively little material had been extracted, even if these three visits allowed us to discover specimens of excellent quality, the most beautiful ones having been collected during the missions of March 2000 and January 2003.

SENEGALITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-C)

~ 8.5 x 8 x 8 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5 x 0,5 cm) ; 174 grams
 
zoom photo: 2

SENEGALITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-D)

~10 x 8 x 7 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5 x 0,5 cm) ; 515 grams
 
zoom photo: 2 3

SENEGALITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-E)

~ 11 x 6.5 x 5 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5 x 0,5 cm) ;138 grams
 
zoom photo: 2 3

SENEGALITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-F)

~14 x 8 x 8 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5 x 0,5 cm) ; 476 grams
 
zoom photo: 2 3 4

SENEGALITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-G)

~12 x 9 x 7 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5 x 0,5 cm)
 
zoom photo: 2

SENEGALITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-I)

~14 x 8 x 6 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5 x 0,5 cm)
 
zoom photo: 2

 

MUSEUM-QUALITY specimens

In this category, 3 or 4 exceptional specimens. Certainly, the best specimens ever found, surpassing the specimens found in the 70's (with the exclusion of the big piece exposed in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris).

SENEGALITE, TURQUOISE, CRANDALLITE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-B)

This specimen shows the typical structure observed on Kouroudiako specimens : large boxwork-like cavities lined with various phosphates species. There are not less than 5 major senegalite vugs, and one turquoise vug.
In the major cavity, this piece has crystals that are unusually elongated, some of them covered by crandallite spherules.
A gorgeous specimen, featured in 'Le Règne Minéral' n° 65, page 21

~13 x 8 x 8 cm (photo scale: 1 square is 0,5x0,5 cm) ; 533 grams
 
SENEGALITE, WAVELLITE, TURQUOISE, Kouroudiako, Sénégal (ref. SN-0)
 

This very big specimen is featured in 'Le Règne Minéral' n° 65, page 19.
In the major cavity (10x10 cm), senegalite is associated with wavellite.