Amethyst from Zambia Info

Because I have a few pieces of Amethyst from Zambia, I figured I'd input this info I found and collected across the web. 

Here is some info on Minerals mined in Zambia, known as the Cradle of Man Kind- 

Most gemstones of Zambia formed during the Pan-African orogeny 500-600 million years ago. They are among the oldest gemstones on the planet. During that time there were neither plants nor animals on land. During the Pan-African orogeny, which comprised a whole series of geological events, several continents and microcontinents joined together to form a waste super continent: Gondwana. Through the collision of two continents, the Mozambique belt was formed. The Mozambique belt is a zone of tectonically and thermally highly stressed metamorphic and magmatic rocks, which once was a huge mountain range reaching from Arabia through East Africa to Antarctica. Most gemstones of East Africa including Zambia were formed by tectonic and magmatic activity during the formation of the Mozambique belt.

Gemstones like aquamarine, tourmaline, and topaz are found in large veins or dikes consisting mainly of quartz, feldspar, and mica - so called pegmatite. Individual crystals in pegmatites are typically very big and one may encounter quartz or feldspar crystals of meter size quite frequently. Huge intrusions like the Sinda batholith in the Southeast of Zambia are believed to have provided the residual melts and hydrothermal fluids (water and gases) from which the pegmatites formed. By slowly cooling down rock forming minerals, e.g. quartz, feldspar, and mica crystallized in the large magma chambers. What stayed behind formed a residual melt, which became more and more enriched in everything that did not fit in the normal rock forming minerals. This usually is water, gases and rare elements such as lithium, beryllium, boron, cesium, and fluorine. When the residual melt finally cooled down too, hydrothermal fluids exsolved and their increasing pressure broke the surrounding rock. The freshly formed cracks were then filled with quartz, feldspar, mica, and occasionally e.g. aquamarine and tourmaline and form a pegmatite vein. These veins may reach 5-10 meters in thickness and a couple of hundred meters in length. Smaller fracture systems next to pegmatites may host amethyst and citrine. Where the pegmatite fluids got in contact with chromium-bearing rocks emerald may have formed.

After the end of the Panafrican orogeny the area we call Zambia today was geologically quiet for about 200 Million years. The mountains of the Mozambique belt eroded and left behind a landscape with waste plains and smooth hills. From about 300 Million years before present Gondwana started to break apart. This process of rifting still continues today. The Luangwa Valley testifies of the earliest stages of rifting in East Africa, which eventually resulted in the formation of the Great Rift Valley, the cradle of mankind.

Amethyst is used as a symbol of devotion and as a stone strengthening the will. It encourages selflessness and spiritual wisdom; it activates spiritual awareness, opens intuition and enhances psychic abilities. The stone also helps sharpen the conscious mind and enhances the mental powers. It is used to improve memory and keeps thoughts in line with life goals.

Amethyst is the Birthstone of February.

******Please note******-DO NOT PUT IN THE SUNLIGHT. If you do, your beautiful amethyst pieces will fade to clear or light purple due to the sunlight! This happens to all natural and man made pieces pieces. 

An Amethyst Flower with natural Iron orbs attached from Zambia, photo taken by me, for sale by me.