Barite (BaSO₄) is barium sulfate and the principal ore of barium. Its distinctive heaviness — specific gravity 4.5 makes it heavy for a non-metallic mineral — and tabular orthorhombic habit make it a classic collector species. China is a major Barite producer, with Hunan and Guizhou hosting both industrial-grade and collector-quality deposits, including blue Barite from Stoneham (Colorado) analogs at Hunan localities.
Key Facts
- Mohs hardness 3–3.5 — soft and easily scratched.
- Specific gravity 4.5 — much heavier than calcite or fluorite of similar appearance.
- Orthorhombic; classic tabular crystals form rosette aggregates (“desert rose”).
- Colors range from colorless and white through blue, yellow, brown, and pink.
- “Bologna stone” — historic phosphorescent variety from Mt. Paderno, Italy.
Notable Chinese Localities
Hunan and Guizhou are China’s major Barite producers, with collector-grade tabular and rosette specimens. Frizington (UK) and Cavnic (Romania) are classic European sources.
Found at these Localities
- Oumjrane Mining Area (奥姆贾兰矿区)
- Mibladen Mining District (米布拉登铅矿区)
- Tri-State Mining District (Joplin) (三州矿区(乔普林))
- Erzgebirge / Krušné Hory (埃尔茨山脉/克鲁什内山(德捷边境矿带))
- Chañarcillo (查尼亚西略)
- Wessels Mine (韦塞尔斯锰矿)
- Heqing Cu-Ag-Pb-Zn District (鹤庆铜银铅锌矿区)
- Shimen Realgar-Orpiment Mine (石门雄黄雌黄矿)
- Lanping Pb-Zn-Cu Field (兰坪铅锌铜矿田)
- Guizhou (贵州)
- Hunan (湖南)
- Italian Volcanic Province (Vesuvius / Lipari / Etna) (意大利火山矿物产地)
