Barite

Barium sulfate — a pale mineral that is surprisingly heavy. Sand-filled rosettes from Oklahoma are known as rose rocks.

Barite specimen — Photo: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify barite

Unusually heavy for a light-colored mineral.
Tabular, bladed crystals.
Hardness about 3 — a knife scratches it.
Doesn't fizz in acid.

Often confused with

Celestine
Celestine is lighter, typically pale blue and colors a flame crimson.
Compare side by side
Calcite
Calcite is lighter and fizzes in acid.
Compare side by side

Where it's found

Norman, Oklahoma
Morocco
Cumbria, England
China

Uses

Drilling mud for oil and gas wells, and the 'barium meal' used in X-ray imaging.

Rock tumbling

Not suitable for tumbling.

Did you know?

The barite rose is Oklahoma's official state rock.

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