Pabstite is a very rare Ba-Sn-Ti mineral, only known from 4 localities worldwide, being this one from the type locality: Pacific Cement Quarry, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, United States of America. It occurs in this specimen as tan crystal aggregates. Ex.F.Bauer collection. — Photo: David Hospital · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pabstite
A barium-tin-titanium silicate of the benitoite group found in contact-metamorphosed limestone.
Intro adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Pabstite is an IMA-recognized mineral species in the silicate class, with the chemical formula BaSnSi₃O₉.
It crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system (space group P-6c2). It is a member of the Benitoite structural group.
Key properties: Mohs hardness 6; specific gravity 4.03; Vitreous luster; refractive index 1.68; optically uniaxial.
IMA symbol Pab, IMA status: approved, named in 1964.
Occurs as fracture fillings and disseminated grains in recrystallized siliceous limestone which shows evidence of contact metamorphism.
It is found associated with Calcite, quartz, tremolite, witherite, phlogopite, diopside, forsterite, taramellite.
The name refers to Dr. Adolf Pabst (1899–1990), Professor of Mineralogy, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.