Pabstite, Santa Cruz, California
Contributed by: Chris Clemens
minID: GP0-DXG
Date: Apr 20th, 2026
Locality: Pacific Cement and Aggregate Company quarry, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA (See on Mindat)
Size: 10.1 x 4.7 x 12.5 mm
Weight: 0.5 g
Description:
Pabstite is a rare barium tin titanium silicate mineral that is only found in 4 known locations worldwide: 1.) Santa Cruz, California; 2.) Baja California, Mexico; 3.) Dara-i-Pioz Glacier, Tajikistan; and 4.) Muzeinyi Valley, Kyrgyzstan. It is the tin analogue of the mineral benitoite and shows a similar bright blue/white, fluorescent response under shortwave UV. The specimen shown here is from the only known US occurrence, the Pacific Limestone Products Quarry (Kalkar Quarry), Santa Cruz, California.
Pabstite shows a bright blue/white response under shortwave UV that is very similar to that seen from the closely related mineral benitoite.
Originally posted by Chris Clemens on Nature's Rainbows in 2019.
Summary of luminescence responses:
Pabstite (Mindat) (RRUFF)
- Fluorescence under Shortwave (254nm Lamp/Mercury) UV light: Blue