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(c) Mineral Picture courtesy of www.yuprocks.com
Mineral Picture courtesy of www.yuprocks.com

BariteBaSO4

Class: Sulfate
Hardness: 3 - 3.5
Density: 4.5
Streak: White
Lustre: Vitreous
Habit: Fine grained aggregates
Colours: Colourless, white, gray, yellowish, brown, reddish, bluish or greenish

  Crystal System: Orthorhombic
Cleavage: Perfect
Fracture: Uneven
Magnetism: None
Reaction with HCl: None

Identification in hand sample:
High specific gravity is best indicator, colour and fracture are also helpful.

Associations:
Common in hydrothermal veins, associated with galena, sphalerite, pyrite, quartz, fluorite and carbonates.

Industrial / ecomonic uses:
Primary ore for barium, also used as an additive to drilling mud (because of high SG). Has over 2000 uses in industry.

  

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