TERRIUM — A mineralogy cabinet

Abellaíta

Abellaíta is a mineral with formula NaPb₂(CO₃)₂(OH), in the Carbonatos group. This specimen comes from Mina Eureka (Galería C), Castell-estaó, Lleida, Catalunya, España.

Abellaíta from Mina Eureka (Galería C), Castell-estaó, Lleida, Catalunya, España — Terrium

Description

Tabular microcrystals of abellaite (nacreous, whitish to pearl grey) on dark barite matrix. The coating is thin but continuous, with vitreous to silky lustre, allowing the species to be identified with the naked eye. Consistent with the type material (holotype) deposited in museums.

History of this specimen

It belongs to the "Original Series" limited to 60 specimens that Joan Abella numbered and hand-labelled after the discovery. It is a genuine historical document, certified as no. 18/60, and it includes the exact find coordinates on the reverse. Its pedigree is exceptional: it went from the discoverer’s personal collection to that of Burton Ford (Georgia, USA), a legend of systematic collecting who assembled more than 4,000 species (70% of those recognised by the IMA). After Ford died in 2025, the piece was recovered by Persson Rare Minerals and later acquired by me, completing a round trip back to the type locality with full traceability.

About Abellaíta

At eleven years old, Joan Abella dreamed that one day a mineral would bear his name. What he never imagined was that this dream would be born from a shiny "snail slime" hidden inside the Eureka Mine, a labyrinth of uranium mines abandoned for decades. The discovery was no accident, of course. Without any form of institutional or corporate funding, Joan had spent years venturing inside with his mask and radiation protection gear to collect and study stones. In the end, it was made possible through collaborative work among friends and colleagues, such as Dr. Joan Viñals, a towering figure in Iberian mineral collecting. Sadly, he passed away before seeing that dream realized and the recognition of the first mineral species discovered in Catalonia. The IMA approved Abellaite in 2015 as an extremely rare sodium and lead hydroxycarbonate that, born from the chemical interaction between meteoric waters and the primary sulfides on the gallery walls, needed barely forty years to crystallize inside Eureka.

About the locality

Eureka Mine is a recognised mineralogical locality. In Gallery C, a humid, carbonate-rich environment enabled a crystallisation unique worldwide. Although possible abellaite has been cited elsewhere, Eureka is the type locality and the definitive reference.

Technical data

Catalogue No.
0279
Composition
NaPb₂(CO₃)₂(OH)
Name
Abellaíta
Group
Carbonatos
Category
Meritum Persé
Matrix
Matriz barítica limonítica
Mine
Mina Eureka (Galería C)
District / Municipality
Castell-estaó
Province
Lleida
Region
Catalunya
Country
España
Size (cm)
2.4 x 2 x 1
Weight
3.2 g
Ex-collection
Joan Abella > Burton Ford > Persson Rare Minerals
Etymology
Named in honour of Joan Abella i Creus (b. 1968), a mineralogist from Sabadell who discovered the species and has devoted his life to the study of Eureka Mine.
Quality
Top
Value trend
Al alza

Related specimens

← Back to Terrium catalogue