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Gypsum, one of the most widely used minerals in the world, literally surrounds us every day.  Mostly  gypsum is used to make wallboard for homes, partition boards for offices which has become a common norm for  all modern offices to be  separated with Soft Gypsum boards  and also commercial buildings; a typical new  home contains more than 7 metric tons of gypsum alone.  Moreover, gypsum is used worldwide in concrete for highways, bridges, buildings, and many other structures that are part of our everyday life.  Gypsum also is used extensively as a soil conditioner on large tracts of land in suburban areas, as well as in agricultural. In  Tanzania 99.5% of  all the Bungalows, Flats and High Rise Buildings in Cities are build using bricks made from Cement, and this Cement  is made from Gypsum unearthed from Makanya.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:
Gypsum is usually white, colorless or gray, but can also be shades of red, brown and yellow. Gypsum has several variety names that are widely used in the mineral trade. The three we see most are Selenite, Satin Spar and Alabaster. Gypsum is a major rock forming mineral that produces massive beds, usually from precipitation out of highly saline waters. These beds are softer than those of anhydrite or marble, and gypsum will not bubble in acid. Since it forms easily from saline water, gypsum can have many inclusions of other minerals and even trapped bubbles of water and air. Gypsum crystals can be scratched with a finger nail which is about the only test needed. The clear plates bend but lack the elasticity of mica, and are softer than brucite. Thin crystals are flexible but not elastic, meaning they can be bent but will not bend back on their own. Crystals are often fluorescent yellow, showing hourglass pattern within crystal. They may also be phosphorescent.

ENVIRONMENT:
Gypsum is one of the more common minerals in sedimentary environments. It occurs in massive beds, as free crystals in clay beds and crystallized in limestone cavities.

CRYSTAL DESCRIPTION:
"Selenite" is the colorless and transparent variety that shows a pearl like luster. Crystals are common and most often assume a tabular habit. Fish tail twins are characteristic and spear head twins or swallow tail twins are also formed. The commonest crystals are found loose and free-growing in clay beds, coming out whole. "Satin Spar" comes from compact fibrous aggregate veins. This variety has a very satin like look that gives these crystals a play of light. "Alabaster" is A fine grained massive material used for centuries in ornamental stone carving. Other Crystal Habits include bladed or blocky crystals with a slanted parallelogram outline. Long thin crystals show bends and some specimens bend into spirals called "Ram's Horn Selenite". Also massive, crusty, granular, earthy and fibrous.

TESTS:
Tests: Soluble in hot dilute hydrochloric acid; the addition of barium chloride solution makes a white precipitate. After firing, fluorescent and phosphorescent in long-wave ultraviolet light.

USES:
Sheet Rock wall board, paint fillers, some cements, plaster of Paris, fertilizer, ornamental Alabaster and as rare mineral specimens.

FACTS & HISTORY ABOUT GYPSUM
The name plaster of Paris comes from its early production from quarries in Montmartre, Paris.

The name gypsum comes from the Greek word for the calcined or "burned" mineral.

The word selenite comes from the Greek word meaning moon rock. A Greek comparison of the pearly luster of the cleavage to moonlight.

Gypsum is used in drywall because it has very low thermal conductivity Which makes it a good insulator

TECHNICAL DETAILS

( View Gypsum

Stocks )

SOURCES FOR THIS

GEMSTONE.

Gypsum is a widespread, commercially important mineral. The massive beds are quarried, or mined, for the manufacture of plaster of Paris and various plaster products such as sheet rock. Abundant deposits which have formed from the alteration of the water-free variety, anhydrite. Are mined for their economic applications, in New York State, Michigan, Texas, Iowa, California, Nova Scotia, Mexico, Australia and many more localities. 

GYPSUM IN TANZANIA DEPOSITS 

In Tanzania Gypsum is found in huge volumes in a place called Makanya the area within Mwanga District. Its deposits are within the  Mwanga District, Mwanga falls within the Kilimanjaro Region in Tanzania. Mostly the Gypsum at this site of  Makanya is unearthed  using purely primitive local tools. Since its rocks are very soft  they are easier to be mined  without the use of Dynamites etc. It also depends with the  Buyer request since we can also crush the Gypsum into Powdery format mode but this will mean more purchase costs for the buyer. Our Machines can crush Gypsum soft rocks into 5mm sizes or crush it completely to powdery format.

All the Major Cement companies in Tanzania such as Tanga Cement in Tanga Region, Wazo Hill in Dar es Salaam,Mbeya Cement Ltd in Mbeya Region they all use Gypsum from Makanya as their Raw Material for  Making Cement, Infact 99% percent of all Industries in Tanzania they use the Soft Rocks (Gypsum) from Makanya for the Cement production.

Gypsum purity content of  Makanya is 70%, Its completely suitable for the production of  Cement, Office Partition Soft boards etc.

After its Discovery the Government had to improve the transport network between  Makanya and other Regions in Tanzania where Cement Industries are based. Infact its only about 20 minutes from the Mines to the Railway station center.

From the Railway station its shipped mostly to to different regions in Tanzania where there is plants for Cements Productions,. Also its shipped to Dar es salaam the capital city for the local use or for the Exportation purpose use. In Dar es Salaam there is an international port with all the International qualities for parking huge cargos at the Ships. Mostly the Cranes here they can lift up to only 50 Tons containers.