Sabugalita
Sabugalita is a mineral with formula HAl(UO₂)₄(PO₄)₄ · 16H₂O, in the Fosfatos (Uranilo) group. This specimen comes from Mina El Lobo, La Haba, Badajoz, Extremadura, España and joined the Terrium collection in 1982.
Description
Small lemon-yellow radial fans forming a rich, dense crust on limonite matrix. The texture is micaceous/scaly, typical of the autunite group.
History of this specimen
Sabugalite was already rare in the 80s! And this piece is a sociological document of that World Cup Spain. Acquired by Carlos Prieto Paramio on 13 June 1982 at the Rastro in Madrid for 1,000 pesetas (about €6 at the exchange rate, though a small fortune then). The original handwritten label is a treasure; it certifies that, 40 years ago, radioactive minerals were bought at street markets as a matter of course, as if nothing. Today, a piece from this classic locality is almost impossible to get, let alone with this traceability.
About Sabugalita
It is the uncommon "aluminium cousin" of autunite. It belongs to the same group A(UO₂)₂(TO₄)₂ · 8–16H₂O, where A may be Cu, Ca, Ba, Ni, Mn, Fe or the (HAl) pair, and T corresponds to P or As. It retains the micaceous layer structure, but it is a special case because it is not a simple substitution of calcium by aluminium: aluminium enters accompanied by hydrogen to balance the charge.
About the locality
El Lobo Mine was one of Spain's emblematic uranium workings, and its dumps yielded exceptional specimens. Now it is a nuclear grave—they not only closed it, they buried it under a sarcophagus. They demolished the plant, cut up structures and buried everything in the pit of the mine under a 1.5-metre multilayer cover. There was much controversy because they also brought waste drums from JEN and CIEMAT in Madrid. Today the site is under perpetual surveillance. The landscape looks like a natural hill, but beneath lies the entire nuclear history. Hence this piece is unrepeatable: everything else is buried for ever.
Technical data
- Catalogue No.
- 0221
- Composition
- HAl(UO₂)₄(PO₄)₄ · 16H₂O
- Name
- Sabugalita
- Group
- Fosfatos (Uranilo)
- Category
- Núcleus Ardens
- Matrix
- Ferruginosa
- Associations
- Limonita
- Mine
- Mina El Lobo
- District / Municipality
- La Haba
- Province
- Badajoz
- Region
- Extremadura
- Country
- España
- Size (cm)
- 6 x 4 x 3.8
- Weight
- 169.4 g
- Acquired
- 1982
- Ex-collection
- Carlos Prieto Paramio
- Etymology
- From the type locality: Sabugal, Guarda, Portugal.
- Quality
- Notable
- Value trend
- Al alza
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