Alkaline Rocks and Carbonatites of the World

Setup during HiTech AlkCarb: an online database of alkaline rock and carbonatite occurrences

Mickberg

stripes

Occurrence number: 
116-00-047
Country: 
Namibia
Region: 
Kuboos-Bremen and Bremen Garub lines of intrusions
Location: 
Longitude: 18.52, Latitude: -27.58
Carbonatite: 
Yes

The Mickberg occurrence forms a 100 m high double-crested hill of gneiss that is brecciated in places and intruded by several bodies of ankeritic beforsite, the largest of which is about 160x110 m. The carbonatite contains numerous inclusions of gneiss, grit and quartzite some of the last being blue in colour owing to fenitization which has generated tufts of crossite and a mosaic of alkali feldspar. The carbonatite comprises ankerite, ferroan calcite, apatite, magnetite, biotite, chlorite and, in places, a blue sodic amphibole; there is minor malachite and chrysocolla. Verwoerd (1993) describes the presence in the largest carbonatite body of spheroidal inclusions up to 15 cm in diameter consisting of shells of fine-grained ankerite and angular fragments around lithic nuclei 1-7 cm across. He suggests generation by accretion in a fluidized system.

References: 

VERWOERD, W.J. 1993. Update on carbonatites of South Africa and Namibia. South African Journal of Geology, 96: 75-96.

Map: 
Fig. 3_209 Mickberg (after Verwoerd, 1993, Fig. 9).
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith