Barite aka Baryte

Barite is well known for its wide range of colors and beautiful crystal formations. It is a mineral specimen that collectors and rockhounds seek to have in their collections. Barite is easy to identify by its weight, it is a heavy mineral, much heavier than similar minerals. Its name was derived from the Greek word "barus" which means "heavy". Barite may replace other minerals, wood, shells, and fossils. It sometimes forms tufa-like mound shaped coatings or specimens from precipitation of hot, barium-rich geothermal springs.

Controversial arguments still exists in regards to the spelling of Barite. For the last 100 years or so, this mineral has always been spelled "Barite" in the United States. The Mineralogical Society of America spells it as "barite" as well as popular magazines like "Rock & Gem Magazine" and popular books like "The Complete Guide to Rocks & Minerals".

Controversy began in 1978 with new policy decisions from the IMA. From 1959-1978 the IMA (International Mineralogical Association) spelled it as "barite" and then changed the spelling to "baryte" in 1978. This decision was met with considerable controversy and left many questioning the IMA's logic behind the change.

In the United Kingdom, the spelling has traditionally been "Baryte". Most U.S. mineral collectors, rockhounds, geologists and mineralogists still prefer the spelling as "Barite", We at SpiritRock Shop will continue to use the traditional United States spelling here on our site as well. We hope our friends who use the United Kingdom spelling still find our pages and website when searching for Baryte...we will put it in our key words list.

For more information from Wikipedia....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barite