Elbaite with Quartz

specimen number:
2092267

location:
Pala, San Diego Co., California, USA

description:
A cluster of slightly smoky colorless translucent quartz crystals, this hosting pink crystals of elbaite. Damage is present as seen. Crystallized completely all around.

The Pala mining district, situated in the northern mountains of San Diego County, California, is a globally renowned pegmatite locality celebrated for its exceptional lithium-rich and gemstone-bearing mineral deposits. Geologically, the area is underlain by the mid-Cretaceous-age Peninsular Ranges Batholith, which is injected by hundreds of highly fractionated, tabular granitic pegmatite dikes that dip gently westward. These complex pegmatite bodies contain highly developed inner core pockets rich in incompatible elements like lithium, boron, and manganese, which crystallized into spectacular mineral species including gem-grade tourmaline (specifically rubellite), pink kunzite spodumene, morganite beryl, and lepidolite mica. Historically, while indigenous populations knew of the colorful stones, formal commercial open-cut quarrying and underground shaft operations began around 1890 with the development of the Stewart mine to extract lithium ore, followed by a major gemstone boom between 1900 and 1912 to supply the Chinese imperial court with pink tourmaline. Industrial-scale extraction of gemstones and lithium ores fluctuated throughout the mid-twentieth century under various private owners, and while large-scale commercial corporate mining has ceased, active small-scale artisanal mining and specimen recovery operations continue at famous properties like the Tourmaline Queen and Oceanview mines through 2026.

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