Mineral Evolution Database
Created and maintained by the Mineral Evolution Project in partnership with RRUFF and mindat.
Mineral locality data provided by mindat.org



The Mineral Evolution database is currently under development.

The goal of this page is to present localities at which the mineral is found, and estimates of the oldest possible geologic age of the minerals at these localities.


Locality Name:
Tundulu Complex, Phalombe, Southern Region, Malawi

Oldest recorded age at locality: 140
Youngest recorded age at locality: 126

mindat Locality ID: 26431
mindat URL: http://www.mindat.org/loc-26431.html

Tectonic Settings:

Total number of sublocalities beneath "Tundulu Complex, Phalombe, Southern Region, Malawi": 0
Total number of bottom-level sublocalities: 0

Latitude: 15°32'21"S
Longitude: 35°48'27"E
Decimal Degree (lat, lon): -15.539166666667,35.8075

AThis mineral is Anthropogenic.
GThis mineral is directly dated.
BThis mineral is reported as having this age.
YThis mineral is using an age reported as an element mineralization period.
OThis mineral is using an age calculated from all data at the locality.
RThe age displayed for this mineral originates from a different, non-child locality.
PThe age displayed for this mineral is the range of ages for this mineral at all of this locality's children.
This mineral's age has not yet been recorded.

This Mineral list contains entries from this locality, including sub-localities. Minerals in bold are reported by mindat.org as occurring directly at this locality, and do not occur at any children (sublocalities) of this locality.

Elements at this locality, including sub-localities: Ba C Ca Ce F Fe H Mg Na O S Si Sr Ti 

Elements from minerals reported directly at this locality: Ba C Ca Ce F Fe H Mg Na O S Si Sr Ti 

Structural Groups for minerals in this locality: 
AragoniteBaryteBastnäsiteCalciteCorundumDiasporeFluoriteGarnetNoneNot in a structural group
ParisitePyroxeneQuartzSpinelTitanite

19 IMA Minerals at location:
Aegirine  (*)Anatase  (*)Andradite  (*)Ankerite  (*)Baryte  (*)
Bastnäsite-(Ce)  (*)Calcite  (*)Celestine  (*)Dolomite  (*)Fluorite  (*)
Goethite  (*)Ilmenite  (*)Magnetite  (*)Parisite-(Ce)  (*)Quartz  (*)
Siderite  (*)Strontianite  (*)Synchysite-(Ce)  (*)Titanite  (*)
Mineral nameStructural GroupsIMA FormulaMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)# of Sublocalities containing mineralLOCALITY IDs, not mindat ids# of localities containing mineral
Aegirine  (*)PyroxeneNaFe3+Si2O614012601022
Anatase  (*)Not in a structural groupTiO214012602162
Andradite  (*)GarnetCa3Fe3+2(SiO4)314012601534
Ankerite  (*)NoneCa(Fe2+,Mg)(CO3)214012603092
Baryte  (*)BaryteBa(SO4)140126011547
Bastnäsite-(Ce)  (*)BastnäsiteCe(CO3)F1401260304
Calcite  (*)CalciteCa(CO3)140126027770
Celestine  (*)BaryteSr(SO4)14012601252
Dolomite  (*)NoneCaMg(CO3)214012609895
Fluorite  (*)FluoriteCaF214012609617
Goethite  (*)DiasporeFeO(OH)14012607437
Ilmenite  (*)CorundumFe2+Ti4+O314012605433
Magnetite  (*)SpinelFe2+Fe3+2O4140126014899
Parisite-(Ce)  (*)ParisiteCaCe2(CO3)3F21401260112
Quartz  (*)QuartzSiO2140126061156
Siderite  (*)CalciteFe(CO3)14012606417
Strontianite  (*)AragoniteSr(CO3)1401260589
Synchysite-(Ce)  (*)NoneCaCe(CO3)2F1401260232
Titanite  (*)TitaniteCaTi(SiO4)O14012604899



Locality Notes from all Ages at Locality:
Age IDLocality Notes
Jen_0000754MAGMATIC STYLE: Arcuate dykes and sheets of massive carbonatite and carbonatite agglomerate at two centres. ASSOCIATED SILICATE ROCKS: Nepheline syenite, ijolite and feldspathoid-bearing carbonate-silicate rocks; dykes of nephelinite, melanephelinite, phonolite including analcime- and leucite-bearing varieties, sölvsbergite and carbonate-rich lamprophyres with pseudomorphs after melilite; sodic and potassic fenites.


2 Ages assigned to this locality:

Excel IDMax Age (Ma)Min Age (Ma)Age as listed in referenceDating MethodAge InterpretPrioritized?Sample SourceSample NumRun NumAge from other LocalityDated MineralMinerals explicitely stated as having this ageAge applies to these ElementsMinDat Locality IDDated Locality (Max Age)Location as listed in referenceReferenceReference DOIReference IDAge Notes
Jen_0000754140126133K-Ar biotite     26431Tundulu Complex, Phalombe, Southern Region, MalawiTunduluWoolley and Kjarsgaard (2008)10.4095/225115GSCOF5796 
ree-00423140126Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous-- 133 ± 7 Ma (K-Ar, bio, sovite)K-Ar biotite     26431Tundulu Complex, Phalombe, Southern Region, MalawiTunduluOrris and Grauch (2002) USGSOFR02_189 


SampleSource LocalityReference URL


All locality data graciously provided by mindat.org

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