Barite
Mineral Group: SULFATES
RocksForKids.com
| Barite is a mineral that is
unusually heavy for a mineral that is not metallic. Its name comes from
the Greek word baros which means heavy or weighty. One common use for barite is the "barium milkshake" that people drink before getting an X-ray of their stomach and intestines. It is also used to make expensive white paint.
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Barite is usually milky
white or colorless. Barite crystals come in many forms. This specimen has a cockscomb mass and shows a fibrous crystal habit. SPECIMEN ORIGIN: Kingston, Ontario, CANADA
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This large plate of
gemmy crystals is yellow. The color of the barite crystals depends on
the impurities trapped in the crystals while they were being formed. SPECIMEN ORIGIN: Newfoundland, CANADA
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This specimen is covered in
frosted barite crystals. SPECIMEN ORIGIN: Newfoundland, CANADA
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This
massive
specimen of barite is shaped like a sphere. That is why it is called a
"barite bomb". The barite inside this specimen is actually milky white. The red color comes from the red soil that the specimen was found in. SPECIMEN ORIGIN: Missouri, USA
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