Baryte (Barite) – Les Malines, France | Ref.39

Specimen description

This barite from Les Malines forms a large group of white to cream-colored crystals developed over a darker matrix. The crystals are mainly tabular to bladed, overlapping and oriented in different directions, giving the specimen a dense and well-defined structure.

With a length of 20 cm and a weight of 2.5 kg, this is a substantial barite specimen. The photos and video allow the crystal arrangement and the different sides of the piece to be viewed in detail.

Barite (baryte)

Barite, also known as baryte, is a barium sulfate with the chemical formula BaSO₄. One of its characteristic properties is its high density, generally around 4.5 g/cm³, making it noticeably heavier than many common minerals.

Its color can vary considerably depending on the deposit and inclusions, including white, yellow, grey, bluish and brown. Its hardness generally ranges from 3 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale.

Provenance

This specimen comes from the Les Malines deposit at Saint-Laurent-le-Minier, in the Gard department, in southern France, near Le Vigan. This area of the Cévennes has a long mining history and contains a variety of mineralizations associated with the region’s metallic ore deposits.

Dimensions and presentation

Stone dimensions: 200 × 90 × 100 mm.

Weight: 2,500 g.