Abernathyita
Abernathyita is a mineral with formula K(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)₂·4H₂O, in the Arseniatos group. This specimen comes from Mina Descuido Nº 12004, Los Baños de Sierra Alhamilla, Pechina, Almería, Andalucía, España.
Description
Yellow-green bladed crystals in crystallized gypsum (sericolite type). It stands out for its intense green fluorescence under UV light, visible even at the molecular level.
History of this specimen
An ultra-rare mineral in Spain. The piece was collected by Meli during an extreme expedition to the mine, where it was necessary to descend with an oxygen mask because of the depth and ambient humidity; the lower part was partially flooded, and belongs to the small group of genuinely rich abernathyite specimens, with abundant visible crystals rather than the one or two tiny specks usually seen on material from the locality. Initially identified in 2017 as metaheinrichite and later as metanovacekite, subsequent XRD analyses confirmed it as abernathyite.
About Abernathyita
A rare hydrated potassium uranyl arsenate, discovered in 1956 at Temple Mountain (Utah) and named after miner Jess Abernathy. Occurring as a secondary uranium species, it exhibits vivid green UV fluorescence and represents an exceptional scientific rarity in Spanish deposits.
About the locality
The now-closed El Descuido iron mine (Pechina, Almería; reg. no. 28470) is a complex underground labyrinth. Recovering these specimens—such as those retrieved by Amelia Molina—required oxygen masks due to extreme depth, high humidity, and airborne radioactive gases and particles.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0070
- Composition
- K(UO₂)₂(AsO₄)₂·4H₂O
- Name
- Abernathyita
- Group
- Arseniatos
- Matrix
- Yeso (Sericolita)
- Mine
- Mina Descuido Nº 12004
- District / Municipality
- Los Baños de Sierra Alhamilla, Pechina
- Province
- Almería
- Region
- Andalucía
- Country
- España
- Size (cm)
- 4 x 3 x 1.5
- Weight
- 40 g
- Ex-collection
- Amelia Rodríguez
- Etymology
- Named in honour of Jess Abernathy, prospector and uranium mine operator, and above all a direct supplier of very good material to geologists and laboratories.
- Quality
- Muy buena
- Value trend
- Al alza
Related specimens
- Aragonito (Blanco (Bulboso)) — España
- Barita — España
- Calcita (Dorada) — España
- Jacinto de Compostela — España
- Magnetita — España
- Magnetita — España
- Malaquita (Microbotrioidal) — España
- Uranofana — España