Provenite

About Barite

BaSO₄

The most common barium mineral, recognizable by its high density for a light-colored nonmetallic mineral and by tabular or rosette-forming crystals.

Show 5 localities on the map

Photos of Barite

Two bladed baryte rosettes on a gossan matrix, an old specimen from the Palmer mines in Missouri.
Barite · Palmer mines (Fourche a Courtois), Washington County
Two bladed baryte rosettes on a gossan matrix, an old specimen from the Palmer mines in Missouri.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
A pair of glassy baryte crystals with stepped terminations from the Mowbray Mine, Cumbria.
Barite · Mowbray Mine
A pair of glassy baryte crystals with stepped terminations from the Mowbray Mine, Cumbria.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
A compact cluster of brown intergrown baryte blades from the Magma Mine at Superior, Arizona.
Barite · Magma Mine, Superior
A compact cluster of brown intergrown baryte blades from the Magma Mine at Superior, Arizona.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
A cluster of lustrous amber baryte crystals from the sulphur-mining area near Tarnobrzeg, Poland.
Barite · Machow Mine, Tarnobrzeg
A cluster of lustrous amber baryte crystals from the sulphur-mining area near Tarnobrzeg, Poland.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
A glassy golden baryte crystal with smaller crystals from the Tongren Mine in Guizhou.
Barite · Tongren Mine
A glassy golden baryte crystal with smaller crystals from the Tongren Mine in Guizhou.
Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Where Barite is found (5)

China

Poland

United Kingdom

United States

Barite on the same specimen with other minerals

Same specimen Barite with Marcasite at Trepca complex

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show marcasite with barite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Same specimen Barite with Siderite at Baia Sprie Mine (Felsobanya)

1 specimen photo(s) from this locality show siderite with barite together. The pairing comes from the photographer's file name and label, so the relationship between the two minerals is not specified.

Identity

Also called
Baryte
Group
Barite Group
Strunz
7.AD.35 · 7 Sulfates (incl. chromates, molybdates, tungstates)
IMA status
Grandfathered
Name origin
From the Greek word for weight, referring to its high specific gravity.
Elements
Ba, S, O

Physical properties

Color
Colorless, white, yellow, brown, gray, pale red, green or blue; may be zoned or change color on light exposure
Streak
White
Luster
Vitreous luster
Transparency
Variable
Mohs hardness
3–3.5
Density
4.47–4.5 g/cm³
Cleavage / fracture
Cleavage {001} perfect, {210} less perfect, {010} imperfect; fracture uneven; brittle
Magnetism / fluorescence
May be thermoluminescent; fluoresces and phosphoresces cream to spectral colors under UV

Crystallography

Crystal system
Orthorhombic
Space group
Pnma
Typical habit
Thin to thick tabular crystals, prismatic or equant; also crested or rosette-like aggregates, concretionary, fibrous, nodular, stalactitic, banded, granular, earthy or massive
Optical data
Biaxial (+); alpha 1.636, beta 1.637, gamma 1.648; 2V 36-40 degrees; weak pleochroism; colorless or faintly tinted in transmitted light

Formation and use

Formation
Gangue mineral in low-temperature hydrothermal veins; residual deposits from weathered barite-bearing limestones; accessory in igneous rocks and carbonatites; component of submarine volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits and sea-floor chimneys.

Related minerals

Related minerals
Celestine (forms a series with barite)anglesite (barite group)

Sources

  1. SRC-212 · Book
    Handbook of Mineralogy - BariteAnthony, J.W.; Bideaux, R.A.; Bladh, K.W.; Nichols, M.C. · 2005 · Mineralogical Society of America
  2. SRC-214 · Database
    Barite Mineral DataBarthelmy, D. · Webmineral

Draft data from the Provenite workbook. Check entries against the cited sources before relying on them. Photos are open-licence images from Wikimedia Commons; the author and licence are given with each photo.