Mineral · Barite group
Barite
Ba(SO4)
Barite (baryte) is barium sulfate, unusually heavy for a non-metallic mineral, forming blue crystals at Stoneham (Colorado), golden 'crested' blades in Cumbria and Romania, the sand-included 'desert roses' of Oklahoma (state rock) and the Moroccan Mibladen matrix under vanadinite. Weight is the giveaway. Barite is stable and safe to handle.
| Formula | Ba(SO4) |
|---|---|
| IMA status | grandfathered |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Mohs hardness | 3–3.5 |
| Group | Barite group |
| Type locality | None |
| Streak | White |
| Specific gravity | 4.5 |
| Reference list | IMA List of Minerals (RRUFF) — verify formula and status against the current list |
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Barite" (Mineral). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/minerals/barite. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-barite,
title = {Barite},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/minerals/barite}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.