The radiating form, sometimes referred to asBologna Stone,[9] attained some notoriety amongalchemists for specimens found in the 17th century nearBologna by Vincenzo Casciarolo. These becamephosphorescent upon beingcalcined.[10][11]
TheAmerican Petroleum Institute specification API 13/ISO 13500, which governsbaryte for drilling purposes, does not refer to any specific mineral, but rather a material that meets that specification.[13] In practice, however, this is usually the mineral baryte.[14]
The term "primary barytes" refers to the first marketable product, which includes crude baryte (run of mine) and the products of simplebeneficiation methods, such as washing, jigging, heavy media separation, tabling, and flotation. Most crude baryte requires someupgrading to minimum purity or density. Baryte that is used as an aggregate in a "heavy"cement is crushed and screened to a uniform size. Most baryte is ground to a small, uniform size before it is used as a filler or extender, an addition to industrial products, in the production of barium chemicals, or as aweighting agent inpetroleum welldrilling mud.[15]
The name baryte is derived from theAncient Greek:βαρύς,romanized: barús, 'heavy'. TheAmerican spelling isbarite.[3][16] TheInternational Mineralogical Association initially adopted "barite" as the official spelling, but recommended adopting the older "baryte" spelling later. This move was controversial and was notably ignored by American mineralogists.[17]
Other names have been used for baryte, includingbarytine,[18]barytite,[18]barytes,[19]heavy spar,[3]tiff,[4] andblanc fixe.[20]
Baryte (top) and dolomite from Cumbria, EnglandAbandoned baryte mine shaft near Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland
Baryte occurs in many depositional environments, and is deposited through many processes including biogenic, hydrothermal, and evaporative ones, among others.[2] Baryte commonly occurs inlead-zinc veins inlimestones, in hot spring deposits, and withhematite ore. It is often associated with the mineralsanglesite andcelestine. It has also been identified in meteorites.[21]
The global production of baryte in 2019 was estimated to be around 9.5 million metric tons, down from 9.8 million metric tons in 2012.[25] The major baryte producers (in thousand tonnes, data for 2017) are as follows: China (3,600), India (1,600), Morocco (1,000), Mexico (400), United States (330), Iran (280), Turkey (250), Russia (210), Kazakhstan (160), Thailand (130), and Laos (120).[26]
The main users of baryte in 2017 were (in million tonnes) US (2.35), China (1.60), Middle East (1.55), theEuropean Union and Norway (0.60), Russia andCIS (0.5), South America (0.35), Africa (0.25), and Canada (0.20). 70% of baryte was destined for oil and gas well drilling muds, 15% for barium chemicals, 14% for filler applications in automotive, construction, and paint industries, and 1% other applications.[26]
Worldwide, 69–77% of baryte is used as a weighting agent fordrilling fluids inoil and gas exploration to suppress high formation pressures and preventblowouts. As a well is drilled, the bit passes through various formations, each with different characteristics. The deeper the hole, the more baryte is needed as a percentage of the total mud mix. An additional benefit of baryte is that it is non-magnetic and thus does not interfere with magnetic measurements taken in the borehole, either duringlogging-while-drilling or in separate drill-hole logging. Baryte used for drilling petroleum wells can be black, blue, brown, or gray depending on the ore body. The baryte is finely ground so that at least 97% of the material, by weight, can pass through a 200-mesh (75 μm) screen, and no more than 30%, by weight, can be less than 6 μm diameter. The ground baryte also must be dense enough so that it has aspecific gravity of 4.2 or greater, is soft enough to not damage the bearings of a tricone drill bit, is chemically inert, and contains no more than 250 milligrams per kilogram of soluble alkaline salts.[16] In August 2010, theAmerican Petroleum Institute published specifications to modify the 4.2 drilling grade standards for baryte to include 4.1 SG materials.
In the deep ocean, away from continental sources of sediment,pelagic baryte precipitates and forms a significant amount of the sediments. Since baryte has oxygen, systematics in theδ18O of these sediments have been used to help constrainpaleotemperatures for oceanic crust.
The variations insulfur isotopes (34S/32S) are being examined inevaporite minerals containing sulfur (e.g. baryte) andcarbonate-associated sulfates to determine past seawater sulfur concentrations, which can help identify specific depositional periods such asanoxic or oxic conditions. The use of sulfur isotope reconstruction is often paired with oxygen when a molecule contains both elements.[30]
Baryte is used in added-value applications which include filler in paint and plastics, sound reduction in engine compartments, coat of automobile finishes for smoothness and corrosion resistance, friction products for automobiles and trucks,radiation-shieldingconcrete,glassceramics, and medical applications (for example, abarium meal before a contrastCT scan). Baryte is supplied in a variety of forms, and the price depends on the amount of processing; filler applications command higher prices following intense physical processing by grinding and micronising, and there are further premiums for whiteness and brightness and color.[16] It is also used to produce other barium chemicals, notablybarium carbonate which is used for the manufacture ofLED glass fortelevision andcomputer screens (historically incathode-ray tubes) and fordielectrics.
Although baryte contains thetoxicalkaline earth metalbarium, it is not detrimental for human health, animals, plants, and the environment because barium sulfate is extremelyinsoluble in water.
^Nesse, William D. (2000).Introduction to mineralogy. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 345–346.ISBN9780195106916.
^ This article incorporates text from afree content work. Licensed under Public domain. Text taken fromBarite Statistics and Information, National Minerals Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey.
^Duchač, K. C; Hanor, J. S. (September 1987). "Origin and timing of the metasomatic silicification of an early Archaean komatiite sequence, Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa".Precambrian Research.37 (2):125–146.Bibcode:1987PreR...37..125D.doi:10.1016/0301-9268(87)90075-1.
^Fedele, L.; Todesca, R.; Boni, M. (2003). "Barite-silica mineralization at the inter-Ordovician unconformity in southwestern Sardinia (Italy): a fluid inclusion study".Mineralogy and Petrology.77 (3–4):197–213.Bibcode:2003MinPe..77..197F.doi:10.1007/s00710-002-0200-9.S2CID129874363.
^Binns, R.A.; Parr, J.M.; Gemmell, J.B.; Whitford, D.J.; Dean, J.A. (1997). "Precious metals in barite-silica chimneys from Franklin Seamount, Woodlark Basin, Papua New Guinea".Marine Geology.142 (1–4):119–141.Bibcode:1997MGeol.142..119B.doi:10.1016/S0025-3227(97)00047-9.
Johnson, Craig A.; Piatak, Nadine M.; Miller, M. Michael; Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C. (2017). "Barite (Barium). Chapter D of: Critical Mineral Resources of the United States—Economic and Environmental Geology and Prospects for Future Supply. Professional Paper 1802–D".U.S. Geological Survey Professional Papers.doi:10.3133/pp1802D.
