New find of Green Apophyllite in Aurangabad in India.
We are all familiar with
the fact that the State of Maharashtra in India is very rich in
Various kinds of colourful Zeolites .Cavities of very attractive specimens
of Stilbites, Scolecites, Heulandites are found in many quarries and
also in the wells when they dig rock for making a well to get water
for farming. The contractors who dig well for the farmers go down as
deep as 100 feet blasting and excavating rock till they find a source
of water in the form of subterranean flow .Also as they go deep they
find water seeping into the well from the porous and fractured layers
of the rock in the wall of the well .
The specimen production in
the quarries is sporadic and limited because the quarry owners prefer
to work and mine the black Basalt rock which is in demand for construction
purposes. The rock with the Zeolitic Mineralization is avoided as useless.
But sometimes the Zeolite cavities are found in zeolitic basalt layer
which Intrudes in the mass of black basalt which is also known as Deccan
Trap. For large scale quarrying this zeolitic rock also has to be excavated
and removed.
The number of wells dug every
year far out number the stone quarries. Therefore
There are more chances of finding Zeolite cavities in wells than in
quarries .For this reason the second and third generation Runners prefer
to look and search for wells than stone quarries.
From 1970 till 1989 I was mining for the Green Apophyllite at the world
famous quarries of Pashan Pune (Poona)
In 1990 I discovered a well
with green Apophyllite near Shingway in Ahmednagar district .This well
produced a huge amount of green Apophyllite . After this the runners
turned their attention to wells from quarries on which all their specimen
collection activity centered until then.
My second big and spectacular find was in late 2001 at Momin Akhada
near Rahuri town 40 kms from the city of Ahmednagar. This ball shaped
green Apophyllite created a sensation in the mineral shows all over
the world. It was grabbed by the collectors and the public in all shows
.It was highlighted in a beautiful poster at the St.Marie Aux Mines
Show in 2002.
In my 45 years of mineral
collection activities I have found that such big and beautiful cavities
are found once in 5 to 7 years. Very beautiful and colourful specimens
are found in quarries and wells in some of the following districts of
Maharashtra State in India.
Having come to Aurangabad
District let me tell you about a recent find of a very big cavity of
green Apophyllite which I and my son Sami Makki worked in April, May
and June this year. It was in may 2006 that some runners found a cavity
of Green Apophyllite in a well near Bidkin a town about 20 kms south
of Aurangabad city. The runners worked in a haphazard way without much
expertise and necessary tools .These were novice runners from Ajanta
village ,Ajanta is famous for its Buddhist frescoes and temple carvings
which are about 1000 years old .These runners sell these specimens to
tourists who visit these Ajanta Caves.
The novice runners brought
the green Apophyllite specimens to Ajanta village where they stayed
. Soon the news about the big cavity spread in the village and other
seasoned and experienced runners flocked to the well of green Apophyllite
in Bidkin . They were successful in taking out some material but there
were more damaged specimens and the quantity of undamaged specimens
was small because of the difficult working conditions and lack of necessary
equipment .
There are about 100 runners
living in Ajanta village and even though most of them are related to
each other there is rivalry and competition when it comes to specimen
collection and business.
Before they could work systematically
and take out more specimens the monsoon rains started and the well was
fast filling up with water. With the rainy season setting in , it was
impossible to pump out the water from hundred feet deep well to work
the cavity.It was in march this year that these runners decided once
again to take out green Apophyllite from the well in Bidkin . Because
of the rivalry, competition and discord they were quarrelling again
about who should work the well .They formed groups and threatened each
other.
Soon there were quarrels,
and disharmony among them because of the green Apophyllite well.
The elders of the village intervened, and pacified, and dissuaded them
from quarreling .It was decided that no one will work on the well till
an amicable solution was found. The solution was not near but what was
near and looming was the monsoon season which brings torrential rains
to India and much of south east Asia. The monsoon season starts in June
.The rainy season lasts for 4 months June to September.
The elders of the village
after much deliberations called a meeting of the runners and
Proposed to them to let Makkis work the well. They decided to let me
work the well
For a certain sum of money. There was disagreement on many points but
they all agreed on one point that monsoon rains are weeks away and they
will lose the well to the rains for one year again. They finally decided
to let me work.
Soon after that I along with
my son Sami Makki made all preparations, obtained necessary permissions,
put together our team of experienced workers .brought in necessary tools
and equipment and fitted a crane on the mouth of the well to send down
and haul up men and loads of material. Sami is well experienced now
that he is accompanying me to field work for the past 10 years.
We were in the midst of the
summer .The dusty plains of Peninsular India are known to
Get temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius in summer. When we were working
the temperature was 43 degrees. The blazing sun and sweltering heat
was baking the nearby fields around the well. Strange as it may sound
the bottom of the well was dark and cool.. When we, father and son team
descended into the well we were amazed at the sight of an enormous cavity
of green Apophyllite. The well had been dug into the middle of the cavity
which was running East West .
When we stood in the middle of the well we found two huge openings of
the cavity opposite each other.
It was dark in the well and there was no water except for a small puddle.
We found huge blocks and slabs covered with green Apophyllite extending
into dark recesses of the cavity.
The floor of the cavity was covered with thick carpet of Apophyllite
crystals.
The roof of the cavity was having reddish, brownish matrix with long
crystals of green Apophyllite.
As we prepared to start excavation work we saw that there were bats
flying in and out of the cavity and the well. The bats were chirping
as they flew as if protesting and cursing us at our trespassing of their
calm and cool environs .There were frogs too in the puddles and they
would croak in chorus as the evening approached.
Sadly the bats and frogs
became scarce as our work progressed. We also found that a pair of graceful
Mongoose were always moving in the bushes in a dry creek near the well.
In the month of April May and June we worked frantically and tried to
take out as many specimens of green Apophyllite as possible before the
fury of the monsoon rains . When we fished our excavation work we gathered
all our men and equipment ,
And started back for Pune
our hometown .On our way back home we were greeted by heavy rains as
if the nature was waiting to let us finish our work.
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