{"title":"Gabon","description":"\u003cp\u003eGabon, straddling the northwestern edge of the ancient \u003cstrong\u003eCongo Craton\u003c\/strong\u003e, is one of Africa's most geologically significant mineral-producing countries, best known among collectors for its extraordinary manganese deposits. The \u003cstrong\u003eMoanda\u003c\/strong\u003e district in Haut-Ogooué Province, mined by \u003cstrong\u003eCOMILOG\u003c\/strong\u003e since the 1950s, sits within the Paleoproterozoic \u003cstrong\u003eFrancevillian Basin\u003c\/strong\u003e and ranks among the largest manganese deposits in Africa, yielding fine specimens of \u003cstrong\u003epyrolusite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003emanganite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003epsilomelane\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ehausmannite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecryptomelane\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ensutite\u003c\/strong\u003e, and secondary \u003cstrong\u003erhodochrosite\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNearby, the historic \u003cstrong\u003eMounana\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eOklo\u003c\/strong\u003e uranium mines, worked by COMUF until 1999, produced a remarkable uranium mineral suite tied to the world-famous \u003cstrong\u003eOklo natural nuclear reactor\u003c\/strong\u003e zones, including \u003cstrong\u003euraninite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ecoffinite\u003c\/strong\u003e, and rare secondary uranyl species prized by systematic and radioactive-mineral collectors alike. Gabon's varied geology also hosts \u003cstrong\u003ebarite\u003c\/strong\u003e near Dourekiki, \u003cstrong\u003etalc\u003c\/strong\u003e, niobium-phosphate mineralization at the \u003cstrong\u003eMabounie\u003c\/strong\u003e carbonatite complex, and iron ore at \u003cstrong\u003eBelinga\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause Gabonese material rarely reaches Western markets and much of the country remains geologically underexplored, well-labeled specimens from Moanda, Mounana, and Oklo are genuinely scarce outside a handful of old French mining-era collections — making them a distinctive addition for collectors of African manganese and uranium minerals seeking real locality rarity.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fa15-vanuralite-gabon-1","title":"VANURALITE – Extremely Rare Bright Yellow Crystals, Type Locality, Gabon","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eExtremely rare Vanuralite from the Mounana Mine, Gabon — the type locality where this species was first discovered and described in 1963. Intense, brilliant yellow crystals, naturally radioactive (not hazardous under standard precautions). The mine closed in 1999, making authentic material increasingly scarce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMineral Data:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 15 × 12 × 11 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1 g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mounana Mine, Mounana, Haut-Ogooué Province, Gabon (type locality)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"ITALMINERAL","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45446269206637,"sku":null,"price":65.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0693\/8027\/6333\/files\/IMG20260307215958.jpg?v=1783694907"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/gabon.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}