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Baryte (Photo), Barite (US spelling) [abbr. Brt ]

Year of discovery: 1640 (World), 1891 (Japan)

Locality list: 601 localities of baryte

• BaSO₄
• [Ba²⁺][SO₄]^2-

• Class: Baryte group
• Class: Sulfate
• Variety: Hokutolite (+Pb,Ra, Brown)
• Soluble in: concentrated hot H₂SO₄
• Insoluble in: HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄
• Magnetism: Diamagnetic
• Fluorescence: UV excitation (Bluish green-Yellow), Phosphorescence (Pale green), Thermoluminescence
• Substitution pseudomorph: Replaced by Goethite, Dolomite, or Plumbogummite.

• Ba => Sr: Celestite (Series)
• Ba => Pb: Anglesite
• Ba => Ca: Anhydrite

• Color: White
• Streak: White
• Luster: Vitreous
• Diaphaneity: Transparent-Opaque

• Habit: Tabular

• Cleavage: Perfect on {001} and {210} (3 plane), Imperfect on {001} (1 plane)
• Hardness: 3-3.5
• Density: 4.5

• System: Orthorhombic
• Group: mmm, Pnma
• Lattice: a=8.9, b=5.5, c=7.2

Etymology: Barys (heavy) in Greek. IMA recommended to use Baryte in 1978 but MSA keeps using Barite.