Barite
Species (IMA name: Baryte)
Common · BaSO₄
Barium sulfate notable for its exceptional density relative to its hardness. Forms tabular crystals in hydrothermal veins and sedimentary sequences. Used as a weighting agent in oil well drilling muds due to its high density.
Identity
- Formula
- BaSO₄
- Chemical class
- Sulfate
- Mineral group
- Celestine
- Also known as
- Baryte, Heavy spar, Desert rose (rosette habit)
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Habits
- Tabular, Prismatic, Massive, Nodular
- Fracture
- Uneven
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3
- Density
- 4.5 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous, Pearly
- Colors
- colorless, white, yellow, blue, green, pink, red
- Streak
- white
- Transparency
- Transparent, Translucent
Geology
- Origins
- Hydrothermal, Sedimentary
- Host rocks
- Limestone and chalk, Sandstone, shale and clay
- Associated minerals
- Calcite, Fluorite, Galena, Sphalerite
- Found in
- Volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit
- Geography
- worldwide
Classification
- Rarity
- Common
- Gem quality
- No
Sources
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- Baryte. Mindat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Barite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
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