Composition: Barium Sulfate, sometimes with small amounts of strontium. Color: Colorless, white, yellow, orange, red, brown, blue, gray; sometimes multicolored and banded
Streak: White
Hardness: 3- 3 ½ .
Luster: Vitreous to pearly
Cleavage: 1,1- basal; 2,1- prismatic; 3,1 - pinacoidal
Transparent to Translucent in thin splinters
Other Names: Baryte, Heavy Spar
Uses: Barite is the main ore of barium. It
is also important in the manufacture of paper, glass and rubber.
Barite is also used it radiology for x-rays of the digestive system.
When Barite is crushed, it is added to mud to form barium mud, which is
poured into oil wells while drilling.
Occurs with: Calcite, Flourite, Chalcopryte, Cerussite, Gypsum, Anhydrate, Dolomite, Quartz, Apatite, Aragonite, and Sulfur.