October 27, 2022

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You are currently viewing Fascinating Barite!

We were gifted these roughs of Barite today & they are so fascinating!

Barite for its size is very heavy & it’s interesting to hold a piece of Barite in one hand, whilst holding a similar-sized Quartz (for example) in the other. This is called the ‘Heft Test’ & we can tell you, Barite is the clear winner.

Whilst it is so heavy, it is also very soft. Its hardness scale ranges from 2.5 – 3.5 on the Mohs scale & we can see its tiny pieces flake off like little lines of dust under the lights in our glow-in-the-dark room.

& yes, it also glows! However, it is a faint glow of yellow & it’s clear to tell this difference as it is naturally colourless.

Ready for another interesting fact?

Barite has an incredible array of uses, one being it is used in the form of a liquid that can be taken before an x-ray to help with imagery.

For instance, if a doctor wished to see the tissue of the esophagus (throat – which is usually transparent on x-rays), they would request the patient consume the liquid prior as it forms an opaque layer & blocks the x-ray from penetrating further. Enabling them to see the esophagus in detail.

Can you tell we are all slightly-nerdy at heart? In a beautiful way of course! We are just incredibly passionate about minerals.

If you’d love to know more facts like this, let us know HERE.