The Saul's Tsavorite Mine

The Saul's Tsavorite Mine
(Komolo, Tanzania)

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I went to Tanzania at the end of 2005 to meet the Saul brothers (Mark & Eric) and to study a website development project for their mining company (www.swalagemtraders.com).

The city of Arusha is sitting at the bottom of the Meru Volcano, and not far from the famous Kilimanjaro. The Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengety plains are the big touristic attraction 15km from Arusha.
Every night people are gathering in the restaurants, The Arusha Hotel and it's casino: Locals, business men (tourism & gem business) and tourists who are based here for their safari and hunting activities.

I use to go 3 days a week at the Tsavorite mine where the Saul brothers have a nice little house sitting on a small hill in the middle of the valley. From there you can keep an eye on the whole mine. The valley is like a horse shoe, a big U, so the mountains are surounding us but in one direction you can see the opening on the Massai plains.

At night, leopards come around the house, trying to get a sleeping dog.
The Maissai Donkeys that are so smart they know how to open the water and steal the precious liquid from the reserve tanks. Water is a big issue here to sort the gemstones by gravity.
At night also, some "feelance" miners from the village nearby come to do some sabotage on the equiment when they are not busy digging galleries underground on miles to steal precious stones from the official mines in the area.

It was really nice to wake up in the morning and to see the fog coming from the valley and stopping right at our feets. The town of Arusha and the Massai plains are already at 1000m altitude and the mine is even higher. So the weather in Nairobi (kenya) and Arusha is sunny and dry but the air is still fresh. Very different from Dar Es Salam where you really feel like being in Africa, boiling in your own sweat.

I could see a lot of animals each time we left the mine in the early morning, heading back to town. On the way I could admire in the same view the Mont Meru and the Kilimanjaro, those plains with baobabs and trees that look like someone cut their head of... Maasais are walking proudly along the road in their colorful clothes but they will have to leave their spears before entering the town. Some of them prefer to live in town and will soon get some surgery to fix their ears totally enlarged by the traditional ornaments.

Location Overview

The manager’s house stands on a hill in the middle of a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.
The fourth side opens on the vast plains of the fabulous East African tablelands, "the Maasai Steppe".

The fourth side opens on the vast plains of the fabulous East African tablelands, the Maasai Steppe

The fourth side opens on the vast plains of the fabulous East African tablelands, the Maasai Steppe

The plain on the left reaches an altitude of close to 1000 meters..

The fourth side opens on the vast plains of the fabulous East African tablelands, the Maasai Steppe

The road from Arusha passes through a small village (Komolo village) full of independent miners who do not hesitate to dig galleries hundreds of meters long in order to poach tsavorite from Swala Gem Traders property.
As can be seen in some of the next pictures, this can become a security problem for machines and men.

The Mining Process

Step 1 : Reaching the gravels rich in Tsavorite Garnets.

The first step is to identify areas where the secondary deposits are, and remove the sterile overburden down to the gem-bearing sands or gravels. Our machines occasionally encounter obstacles such as big rocks or galleries that can be harmful for men and machines.

The galleries can be 2 meters high and are not secured or supported by mine timbers.They are dangerous for everybody concerned, including the independent and illegal miners who dig them. The risk is greatest during the rainy season.

The galleries can be 2 meters high and are not secured or supported by mine timbers.They are dangerous for everybody concerned, including the independent and illegal miners who dig them

The ground collapsed under the weight of our Caterpillar.
The men have to fill in the hole with rocks, and another machine will come to rescue of this one.

The men have to fill in the hole with rocks, and another machine will come to rescue of this one

Step 2 : Get rid of the dust

The gravels are trucked to this small station where the dust and the large sterile rocks are removed. In the picture, the dust is going to the right and the oversized gravels to the left. Mark is supervising.
A second truck at the bottom of the chain collects the Tsavorite-bearing gravels in order to bring them to the washing station for final sorting (jigging).

A second truck at the bottom of the chain collects the Tsavorite-bearing gravels in order to bring them to the washing station for final sorting (jigging)

This rotating machine is made of 2 cylindrical sieves.
The gravel is introduced in the smaller cylinder and its large grid retains oversized rocks. The second sieve, with a tiny grid, lets the dust fall under the machine, while the usable sized gravels remains between the 2 cylinders.
The machine is slightly tilted in order to let the gravel fall directly into the truck.

The gravel is introduced in the smaller cylinder and its large grid retains oversized rocks. The second sieve, with a tiny grid, lets the dust fall under the machine, while the usable sized gravels remains between the 2 cylinders

Step 3 : The Jig

The trucks bring loads of gravel rich in tsavorite garnet – by this point almost free of dust - to the top of the jig. Water will be used to wash these loads before going through the final sorting process.

Under the rotating sieves is a pile of large-size gravels in which we occasionally find a nice sized Tsavorites.

The trucks bring loads of gravel rich in tsavorite garnet – by this point almost free of dust - to the top of the jig

Gravels being washed. They will then be released into the flowing water and carried down the chain. This powerful water jet will remain in use until all the gravel has been sorted.

Water is scarce at Komolo and is recycled in closed circuit. Evaporation is a problem.

Gravels being washed before going down to the sorting chain for tsavorite

Mark is here following up the sorting in the right-hand part of this double jig. This double-jig set-up allows us to continue washing on one half while hand-sorting on the other.

The compartments are designed to slow down the water which carries the washed but unsorted gravel. A powerful pump is pushing water up from beneath in order to keep the gravel in motion and avoid clogging the system.
The dense tsavorite garnets (and other dense minerals) will settle to the bottom of each compartment, and waste gravel will stay on top or be carried away in the flowing water.

The dense tsavorite garnets (and other dense minerals) will settle to the bottom of each compartment, and waste gravel will stay on top or be carried away in the flowing water.

Here Mark is opening the second part of the jig at the end of a day's run. Gravels cover the entire rack of each compartment. This system imitates Nature when rivers carry stones, diamonds or gold. The compartments simulating natural "placers" or cavities created by large rocks in river beds..

This system imitates Nature when rivers carry stones, diamonds or gold. The compartments simulating natural "placers" or cavities created by large rocks in river beds

Mark supervising the compartment sorting and possibly noticing something green and shinning like a green crystal of tsavorite garnet

When the work is going well, the mine runs day and night. This picture was taken in the evening when the workers finally stopped the pump to clean the jig.

This picture was taken in the evening when the workers finally stopped the pump to clean the jig

The water is the key element for the mining activity.

These two reservoirs work like a small water purification system.
The mining process of tsavorite rich gravels is followed by washing of these gravels which are then sent to be sized, jigged and sorted.

The sand and the mud are carried by the water to a first reservoir, a "settling pond". Clean water remains on the surface and is pumped from the first reservoir (right) to the second one (lef).

The mining process of tsavorite rich gravels is followed by washing of these gravels which are then sent to be sized, jigged and sorted

The jig is pumping and sending muddy water directly into the reservoir.

A circular aqueduct runs along the side of the first reservoir. We use it to carry waste water directly to the second reservoir when the first one needs to be cleaned.

Hereunder, the first reservoir (left) is full of clean water pumped from the reservoir 2 on the right hand side.
Tons of mud have been emptied from the second reservoir which is now ready to accept new supplies of clean water.

The washing and sorting station will now work with the reservoir 1, so the men are connecting the pipes and the pump together.

Tons of mud have been emptied from the second reservoir which is now ready to accept new supplies of clean water

When the pipes are connected, the pump can be started again...

Photographs and comments by Yannick Mandaba.
(Trip to Arusha, Tanzania and to Komolo Dec 2005)