Abellaite

Abellaite is a hydrous carbonate mineral discovered in the abandoned Eureka uranium mine in the village of Torre de Capdella (Lleida province), Catalonia, Spain. The ideal chemical formula of abellaite is NaPb2(CO3)2(OH). It is named in honor of Joan Abella i Creus, a Catalan gemmologist who has long studied minerals from the Eureka mine and first found abellaite in the mine.[4] A team composed, among others, by Jordi Ibáñez-Insa from the Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (CSIC) and by Joan Viñals and Xavier Llovet from the University of Barcelona, identified and characterized the mineral’s structure and chemical composition.[2]

Abellaite
White abellaite crystals from the Eureka mine, in Catalonia
General
CategoryCarbonate mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)		NaPb2(CO3)2(OH)
IMA symbolAbe[1]
Crystal systemHexagonal
Crystal class6mm - Dihexagonal-pyramidal
Space groupP31c (no. 159)
Identification
Colorcolorless to white
References[2][3]

Abellaite crystals are colorless to white, with a glassy or pearly appearance, and are easily crumbled.[5] The mineral has a known synthetic analogue and is chemically similar to sanrománite. Robert Hazen et al. predicted its existence in 2015.[6]

Localities

Catalonia, Spain: Eureka mine, Castell-estaó, La Torre de Cabdella, La Vall Fosca, El Pallars Jussà, Lleida, Catalonia

Russia: Yubileinaya pegmatite, Karnasurt Mt, Lovozero Massif, Murmanskaya Oblast', Northern Region

References
  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. Ibáñez-Insa, Jordi; et al. (2017-12-01). "Abellaite, NaPb2 (CO3)2 (OH), a new supergene mineral from the Eureka mine, Lleida province, Catalonia, Spain". European Journal of Mineralogy. 29 (5): 915–922. Bibcode:2017EJMin..29..915I. doi:10.1127/ejm/2017/0029-2630. hdl:2445/126204.
  3. Belokoneva, E. L.; Al’-Ama, A. G.; Dimitrova, O. V.; Kurazhkovskaya, V. S.; Stefanovich, S. Yu. (March 2002). "Synthesis and crystal structure of new carbonate NaPb2(CO3)2(OH)". Crystallography Reports. 47 (2): 217–222. Bibcode:2002CryRp..47..217B. doi:10.1134/1.1466495. S2CID 96247651.
  4. Perkins, Sid (2017-05-02). "Rock hounds are on the hunt for new carbon minerals". Science News. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  5. "Abellaite: Abellaite mineral information and data". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  6. Hazen, Robert M.; Hummer, Daniel R.; Hystad, Grethe; Downs, Robert T.; Golden, Joshua J. (2016-04-01). "Carbon mineral ecology: Predicting the undiscovered minerals of carbon". American Mineralogist. 101 (4): 889–906. Bibcode:2016AmMin.101..889H. doi:10.2138/am-2016-5546. ISSN 0003-004X. S2CID 741788.
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