Barite
Sulfate · BaSO₄ · also: Baryte
Barite is barium sulfate, notable for being surprisingly heavy for a pale, non-metallic mineral, and for forming rosette “desert roses”.
What is barite?
Barite is barium sulfate, most striking for its high density: it feels far heavier than a pale mineral should. It forms tabular crystals, bladed clusters and sandy “desert rose” rosettes. It is the main ore of barium and is used as a weighting agent in drilling muds.
Properties
- Chemical formula
- BaSO₄
- Category
- Sulfate
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 3–3.5
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Lustre
- Vitreous to pearly
- Streak
- White
- Colour
- Colourless, white, blue, yellow, brown
- Cleavage / fracture
- Perfect
How to identify barite
- →Noticeably heavy for a light-coloured, non-metallic mineral.
- →Tabular or bladed crystals; sometimes rosette “desert roses”.
- →Hardness 3–3.5, perfect cleavage, white streak.
- →Does not fizz in acid (unlike the carbonates it can resemble).
Where barite is found
Barite is common worldwide, with fine specimens from England, Morocco, Romania and the USA (Colorado, Oklahoma).
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