Short answer: barite (spelled baryte outside the United States) is barium sulfate, BaSO4. It looks like an ordinary pale mineral, but its specific gravity of about 4.5 makes it feel almost twice as heavy as quartz of the same size, and that "heft" is the fastest identification test there is. It is soft (Mohs 3 to 3.5), forms bladed crystals, rosettes and sandy "barite roses," and costs little except in rare colors from classic localities.
Why is barite so heavy for a pale mineral?
Barium is a heavy element, and barite is mostly barium. Webmineral's calculated composition puts barium at 58.84% of the weight, with a specific gravity of 4.48 (webmineral). Geology.com calls a specific gravity of 4.5 exceptional for a nonmetallic mineral, and the name follows from it: barite comes from the Greek barys, "heavy" (Geology.com). Old miners called it heavy spar for the same reason.
| Property | Barite |
|---|---|
| Formula | BaSO4 (often with a little strontium or calcium) |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Mohs hardness | 3 to 3.5 |
| Specific gravity | 4.3 to 4.6; 4.50 when pure |
| Streak | White |
| Luster | Vitreous to pearly; pearly on cleavage |
| Cleavage | Three directions, basal cleavage perfect |
| Fluorescence | Often fluorescent, sometimes phosphorescent |
For scale: quartz, calcite and gypsum all sit between about 2.3 and 2.7. Pick up two white crystals of the same size and the barite feels like it has a lead weight hidden inside.
Barite or baryte?
Both spellings name the same mineral. Minerals.net explains that "barite" has always been the American spelling, "baryte" the traditional British one, and that the International Mineralogical Association changed its own listing from barite to baryte, a move it calls controversial (Minerals.net). Labels from European dealers usually say baryte; industrial buyers sometimes say barytes.
How do you identify barite with a specific gravity test?
Barite is the mineral teachers use to introduce the specific gravity test, and the method works at home.
- Heft it. Hold the unknown in one hand and a similar-sized piece of quartz or calcite in the other. Geology.com notes that third or fourth graders can pick barite out of a tray of white minerals this way.
- Look at the cleavage. Barite breaks along three cleavage directions at right angles, which gives flat, blocky faces and a pearly sheen on broken surfaces.
- Scratch a hidden spot. A copper coin barely marks it and a steel needle scratches it easily; a fingernail does not.
- Do not trust a fizz. Pure barite does not react with dilute hydrochloric acid. Geology.com warns that students who see massive barite fizz are usually seeing calcite contamination, either naturally mixed in or rubbed on from a hardness kit.
- Weigh it in water for a number. A kitchen scale accurate to 0.1 gram and a cup of water give a specific gravity reading; anything near 4.3 to 4.6 in a pale, soft, non-metallic crystal is almost certainly barite.
The one mineral that defeats a visual check is celestite, strontium sulfate. Minerals.net describes it as very difficult to distinguish by appearance alone, although lighter in weight. The two form a series, with barite at the barium end and celestite at the strontium end, so a pale blue bladed crystal needs the heft test before it gets a label.
How does barite form?
Barite turns up in more geological settings than most collector minerals, which is why it is found in thousands of localities.
- Sedimentary concretions and veins. Geology.com describes barite as especially common as concretions and vein fillings in limestone and dolostone. Where those rocks weather heavily, barite collects at the soil-bedrock contact, and many commercial mines work these residual deposits.
- Sand concretions. Barite crystallizing between sand grains builds rosettes that trap the sand, the famous barite roses. In some sandstones barite is the cement holding the rock together.
- Hydrothermal veins. Barite is a common gangue mineral in sulfide veins, found with ores of lead, copper, silver, antimony, cobalt and manganese. This is the setting that produces the clean bladed crystals on Moroccan lead ores and the white blades under red vanadinite at Mibladen.
- Hot springs. In a few places barite is deposited as a sinter around hot springs.
What are barite roses, and how do they differ from gypsum desert roses?
A barite rose is a cluster of bladed barite crystals that grew in sand and swallowed sand grains as they grew, so the "petals" are brown or red. Minerals.net names the area around Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, as the source of perfect barite roses. The Oklahoma rose rock is the state's official rock and the classic of the type.
Gypsum forms similar sand rosettes, and both are sold as "desert rose." Minerals.net gives the decisive difference: gypsum roses are much lighter in weight and more brittle and thin. Gypsum is also soft enough to scratch with a fingernail, which barite is not. The desert rose guide covers the gypsum kind in detail; for any listing that does not say which mineral it is, the heft test settles it.
What is iron-coated barite?
Listings called iron-coated barite show barite blades or plates carrying a thin rusty to dark metallic skin of iron oxide picked up from the surrounding rock or later fluids. The coating changes the color and sheen, not the mineral: the barite underneath keeps its weight and cleavage, so a coated crystal still feels heavy. Because the coating is a surface layer, rub it gently and keep it dry; scrubbing exposes the pale barite underneath.
Where do the best barite crystals come from?
| Locality | Typical material |
|---|---|
| Elk Creek, Meade County, South Dakota | Deep honey-colored, tall crystals; facetable brown |
| Stoneham and Sterling area, Colorado | Prismatic blue crystals |
| Rock Candy Mine, British Columbia | Bright yellow tabular crystals |
| Frizington, Cumbria, England | Fine, sometimes very large crystals |
| Villamassargia, Sardinia | Orange-yellow barite |
| Mibladen, Morocco | White bladed barite, often with vanadinite |
| Sidi Lahcen, Nador, Morocco | Blue barite |
| Huarihuyn, Huanuco, Peru | Transparent tabular clusters |
Cut barite is a collector curiosity: the International Gem Society notes that faceting is challenging because of low hardness, perfect cleavage and heat sensitivity, yet Madagascar rough has produced faceted gems over 100 carats (IGS). It also reports no known gem treatments for barite.
Why does industry mine so much barite?
Specimens are a sideline. Geology.com reports that 99% of the barite consumed in the United States is used as a weighting agent in drilling mud, which cools the bit and carries rock cuttings to the surface. Barite is also the principal ore of barium, a filler in paper and rubber and an ingredient in x-ray shielding concrete. The USGS notes that although barite contains barium, it is not listed as a toxic chemical under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act because it is very insoluble (USGS). China and India are the leading producers.
How should you care for barite?
Barite is easy to live with. It is not water-soluble, does not fade like some blue minerals, and only needs a warm damp cloth, mild soap and a soft brush, the cleaning routine the IGS recommends. Its weak points are softness and cleavage: blades chip if knocked, and heat can crack it, so keep it out of hot cars and sunny windowsills. Barite roses shed sand when scrubbed; dust them instead. In crystal traditions, barite is associated with dreams and inner vision, a belief rather than a property of the mineral.
Buying barite: what to look for
Ordinary barite is inexpensive, so value comes from color, crystal form, association and locality.
- Feel the weight in person or check the stated weight against the size; a large, light "barite" is probably something else.
- Check the edges. Blades chip; damage on the main crystals lowers value more than on matrix.
- Look for associations. Barite with vanadinite, cerussite, galena or fluorite is more interesting than barite alone. Wash your hands after handling pieces that include lead minerals.
- Read the coating. Iron coatings and sand inclusions are natural; a bright, even color on a cheap piece can be dye.
- Ask for a locality. Labeled Colorado blue or South Dakota honey barite commands a premium.
From what we stock:
- Iron Coated Barite: a medium piece listed at 0.425 lb; a good way to feel barite's density and see a natural iron-oxide skin.
- Thumbnail Specimens in Acrylic Box from Morocco: includes a 1 inch cerussite with barite and galena option, a boxed sample of barite in its lead-ore setting.
- Vanadinite Cluster on Matrix from Mibladen, Morocco: a 3.5 inch, 255 g plate from the district Minerals.net lists among the well-known barite localities.
- Celestite Crystal Cluster on Matrix: 2 x 1.5 x 1 inches and 51 g, the strontium end of the series; compare its heft with barite.
- Desert Rose: rosettes from 4.5 to 8 inches; use the weight test to tell a gypsum rose from a barite rose.
Digital Towns Market
Barite in stock
Frequently asked questions
Why is barite so heavy?
Barite is barium sulfate, and barium is a heavy element that makes up nearly 59% of the mineral by weight. That gives it a specific gravity of about 4.5, compared with about 2.65 for quartz, so a barite crystal feels unusually heavy for its size.
Is barite the same as baryte?
Yes. Barite is the American spelling and baryte the British one; the International Mineralogical Association uses baryte. Some industrial suppliers also use the older trade name barytes for the same barium sulfate.
How can you tell barite from celestite?
By weight. They look nearly identical and form a series, but barite's specific gravity of about 4.5 is well above celestite's. A heft comparison or a simple water-displacement measurement separates them.
Is barite safe to handle?
Yes. Barite is very insoluble, which is why it is not classed as a toxic chemical under US right-to-know rules. Treat associated lead minerals such as galena or vanadinite with the usual care: no licking, and wash your hands afterwards.
Does barite glow under UV light?
Often. Barite is commonly fluorescent in a range of colors, such as cream, bluish or greenish, and some pieces are phosphorescent. The response depends on locality and trace impurities, so test each specimen with longwave and shortwave lamps.
Sources
- Geology.com, Barite: https://geology.com/minerals/barite.shtml
- Minerals.net, Barite: https://www.minerals.net/mineral/barite.aspx
- webmineral, Barite Mineral Data: http://webmineral.com/data/Barite.shtml
- International Gem Society, Barite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information: https://www.gemsociety.org/article/barite-jewelry-gemstone-information/
- International Gem Society, Celestite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information: https://www.gemsociety.org/article/celestite-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/
- USGS National Minerals Information Center, Barite Statistics and Information: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/barite-statistics-and-information