Barite

Barite  detail

Barite Physical Characterization:

• 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).
• Notable Occurances include Oklahoma, Connecticut and Colorado, USA; England and Germany.
• Best Field Indicators are crystal habit, flame test and density.