Abellaite | |
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![]() White abellaite crystals from the Eureka mine, in Catalonia | |
General | |
Category | Carbonate mineral |
Formula (repeating unit) | NaPb2(CO3)2(OH) |
IMA symbol | Abe [1] |
Crystal system | Hexagonal |
Crystal class | 6mm - Dihexagonal-pyramidal |
Space group | P31c (no. 159) |
Identification | |
Color | colorless to white |
References | [2] [3] |
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 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]
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
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Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate (Na2CO3·10H2O, a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. Natron is white to colourless when pure, varying to gray or yellow with impurities. Natron deposits are sometimes found in saline lake beds which arose in arid environments. Throughout history natron has had many practical applications that continue today in the wide range of modern uses of its constituent mineral components.
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Joan Abella i Creus is a Catalan gemmologist and mineralogist who discovered abellaite, a mineral that receives this name in his honor
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