FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Tobi]

Nice colour and an interesting habit. I would not have recognized this as barite.

[Niels Brouwer]

Of course as a baryte collector the list of favourites is virtually endless, but I thought I would share a few recent additions to my collection that exemplify the immense diversity that makes it such a fun species to collect.

4 primary colours, 4 countries, 4 different associations with other minerals, 4 different crystal habits, but all of them with baryte as the star of the show.

[jose luis jara jara]

Hello

Precious the Spanish piece of Barite

[Dany Mabillard]

What beautiful specimens of barytes and nice photos !

[Bob Harman]

It is interesting to me that the Elk Creek Meade County South Dakota barytes, as shown above by Bob Kerr, have much in common with the Indiana barytes found in geodes as those from Monroe County.

The South Dakota barytes are found in rock structures known as concretions. The Indiana barytes are also found in the rock structure, geodes. These 2 rock structures are "cousins". Both have some % hollows with barytes often associated with calcites in the central cavity of the rock structure. Both weather out of the surrounding sedimentary matrix, often into creek beds or can be collected directly from their surrounding matrix.

In addition, the collector portion of interest, the crystals, can be culled out of the surrounding rock to make the specimen that much more collectible.
Lots of similarities here. See my example pictured below. Two high end dealers have suggested culling the calcite/baryte area out to make the crystal containing area of the geode into a more traditional specimen, much like the Elk Creek baryte examples are. BOB

[jose luis jara jara]

Very cool Barite crystals are attractive

[Tobi]

[Bob Harman]

A portion of an Indiana geode containing a nicely terminated white tipped baryte. Showing several growth phases.

[Bob Harman]

Thought I might share another of my very many Indiana barytes.

This 15 cm x 7 cm example collected 16 years ago in Monroe County has an oval 9 cm x 4.5 cm cavity.
Aesthetically placed about in the center of the druzy quartz cavity is this 3.3 cm x 2.7 cm baryte. The "sides" are free while the "top and bottom" of the crystal contact the edges of the cavity as can be seen.
Thus the baryte forms a neat bridge across the cavity.

[Tobi]

Really nice find, Bob!

[Bob Harman]

Worthy of any baryte display case is this self-collected example from the Harrodsburg road cuts in Monroe County Indiana
.
The 5 cm white tipped doubly terminated baryte crystal is part of a parallel crystal grouping of doubly terminated crystals.
What makes the largest crystal so unusual is that it is penetrated by a small acicular spray of 3 cm millerite crystals, best seen at the top of the baryte crystal, just to the right of the crystal's center.
The whole baryte group is on druzy quartz..

[Bob Harman]

I believe I have mentioned in the past that Indiana baryte crystals always are found in geodes and originate in only the 2 counties of Monroe and Washington. If you are ever offered an Indiana baryte, not associated with either of the 2 above parameters, be suspicious of the example (occasionally an example is found in a field or creek bed in a nearby county, but the example did not originate there).

This 15 cm x 13 cm self-collected example is from the Harrodsburg road cuts in Monroe County. There are 3 separately terminated lustrous crystals each at an angle to the others. The middle crystal is 4.2 cm x 2.4 cm. All are nestled in pristine druzy quartz.

[Bob Harman]

For those who collect smaller specimens or like examples of crystal groupings culled from larger specimens, is this radiating group of lustrous and transparent baryte crystals. Most of the crystals are terminated.
Self-collected and culled from a geode, Monroe County Indiana.
Again, note the similarities of these culled examples with the barytes culled from Elk Creek South Dakota concretions.

[Tobi]

[Bob Harman]

Another classic expression of an Indiana baryte on quartz from the Lake Monroe (Monroe Reservoir) area of Monroe County.
Well displayed, this 14.5 cm x 14.5 cm example shows a lustrous 3.3 cm terminated crystal with another just behind and a small adjacent calcite crystal of little consequence.
Acquired about 10 years ago.