Malawi is, for a relatively small country, particularly well endowed with alkaline rocks and carbonatites, and it is further fortunate that most of the country has been mapped at relatively large scales and described in numerous publications of the Geological Survey. Apart from the general sheet bulletins of the Survey there are also numerous memoirs and other Survey publications that are devoted to the alkaline rocks and carbonatites; many of these are referred to in the following pages. The alkaline rocks comprise essentially two provinces: the North Nyasa Alkaline Province, many of the rocks of which have been affected by the Pan-African tectono-thermal event, and the Chilwa Alkaline Province of southern Malawi the intrusions of which range from about 98 to 137 Ma. Brief descriptions of these provinces are given in the appropriate places. A general account of the geology and mineral resources of the country is that of Carter and Bennett (1973).
This locality is described by Garson (1965b) as being “4 miles east of Utale Mission”. I have coined the name ‘Utale’ for this occurrence. It comprises carbonatite veins cutting Precambrian marble. A hand specimen comprises a 7 cm wide vein of dark brown carbonatite with manganiferous patches.
This occurrence of carbonatite lies approximately 3 km north-northwest of Kapiri Hill (Garson, 1965b).
Kapiri Hill is an east-west-trending ridge of Precambrian dolomite which is cut by several dykes of carbonatite. The largest dyke comprises carbonatite agglomerate at its northern end and carbonated nephelinite at the southern extremity.