Name/Title
BariteEntry/Object ID
2004.1.105Description
Chemical Composition: BaSO4
Crystal System: Orthorhombic System
Description: Common Name: Barite
Group Name: Sulfates
Chemistry: BaSO4
Location: Cavnic, Romania
Description: Blue plated crystals, no matrix.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Color is variable but is commonly found colorless or white, also blue, green, yellow and red shades.
Luster is vitreous.
Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent.
Crystal System is orthorhombic; 2/m 2/m 2/m
Crystal Habits include the bladed crystals that are dominated by two large pinacoid faces top and bottom and small prism faces forming a jutting angle on every side. There are many variations of these faces but the flattened blades and tabular crystals are the most common. If the pinacoid faces become diminished or are absent, the resulting prismatic crystal has a rhombic cross section. Also scaly, lamellar, and even fiberous.
Cleavage is perfect in one direction, less so in another direction.
Fracture is conchoidal.
Hardness is 3 - 3.5
Specific Gravity is approximately 4.5 (heavy for translucent minerals)
Streak is white.
Associated Minerals are numerous but significant associations have been with chalcopyrite, calcite, aragonite, sulfur, pyrite, quartz, vanadinite, cerussite and fluorite among many others.
Other Characteristics: green color in flame test (see above).
Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, flame test and density.
Fracture: conchoidal
Hardness: 3 Calcite
Luster: Vitreous
Occurrence: Occurs as gangue mineral in hydrothermal veins, in druses, as concretions in sandstones and other sedimentary rocks.
Notable Occurances include Oklahoma, Connecticut and Colorado, USA; England and Germany.
Rock Type: Sedimentary
Specific Gravity: 4.5
Streak: white
Variety: Barite is a common mineral and makes very attractive specimens. It often is an accessory mineral to other minerals and can make a nice backdrop to brightly colored crystals. At times bladed or tabular crystals of Barite form a concentric pattern of increasingly larger crystals outward. This has the appearance of a flower and when colored red by iron stains, these formations are called "Desert Roses". Because Barite is so common, it can be confused for other minerals. Celestite (SrSO4) has the same structure as barite and forms very similar crystals. The two are indistinguishable by ordinary methods, but a flame test can distinguish them. By scrapping the dust of the crystals into a gas flame the color of the flame will confirm the identity of the crystal. If the flame is a pale green it is barite, but if the flame is red it is celestite. The flame test works because the elements barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) react in the flame and produce those colors.Collection
Suomynona Mineral CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2004.1Source or Donor
Suomynona Mineral CollectionAcquisition Method
DonationDimensions
Width
6-1/2 inDepth
4 inLength
10 inWeight
4.37 ozDimension Notes
Dimension taken at widest pointsLocation
Category
PermanentMoved By
Curtis GardnerDate
May 25, 2023Notes
Added current locationLocation
Drawer
SW CornerShelf
Bottom, BottomWall
North 2nd centerHallway
Discovery HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
PermanentMoved By
Scott LonganDate
August 26, 2009Location
Cabinet
Case #56Wall
CenterBuilding
Freida Smith HallCategory
Permanent
