BARITE SPECIMEN LOCALITIES

An aid to labeling display quality barite specimens

For best results maximize browser window; AOL clients use IE; use refresh button for updates

Click picture to enlarge. Unless noted all specimens are from Bill & Diana Dameron’s barite suite

SOUTH AMERICA

	ARGENTINA
Neuquén, La Cecilia mine
	Stalactites of barite (or celestine– some need testing) with smaller crystals, this one 4.5 cm. One source labeled as pseudos after calcite but no apparent reason for this.
	BOLIVIA
Potosí, Machacamarca, Colavi mine
	Clear glossy tabular crystals to 2.5 cm on siderite. Mindat.org.
Potosí, Llallagua
	White thin blades, somewhat translucent, perhaps to 1 cm. MR 37/2.
	BRAZIL
Acre
	Cutting material, chunks to 10 cm. Obtained by Brazilian dealer Dilermando Melo Filho (Dilo), at Tucson 2010, not further locality info available.
Paraiba, near Joäo Pessoa, quarry near Cidade Baixa prison
	Clear/gray thin tabular blades to 4.5 cm.
Rio Grande do Sul
	White sawtooth thin doubly terminated tabular crystals to 6.5 cm with small calcite rhombs on typical "geode" matrix, amethystine chalcedony layer.
	COLOMBIA
Boyacà, Pauna, La Marina mine
	Small (1.5 cm) translucent light yellow blades on matrix with 2 nd generation small clear/white blades. With dolomite, pyrite. Also thicker golden blades to 2.7 cm, on limestone/pyrite in large specimens but with black/pyrite coating, much of which cannot be removed.
	PERU
Huancavelica
	Thin blades to 4 cm coated with tiny pyrite crystals. Mine/district not given.
Huancavelica, Castrovirreyna district, San Genaro mine
	Large white crystals with quartz are classics. These butterfly crystal groups are 4 cm, 8 cm specimen; some groups reportedly reached 10 cm.
Huancavelica, Huachocolpa
	Grey thin typical tabular blades to 2 cm in group with nearly black coating, seemingly unaffected by most acids and cleaners. Some flakes off. With tiny as-yet unknown sulfides, looks like tetrahedrite. (Rare veenite cited from locality). New material 2008.
Huancavelica, Julcani district
	Clear, doubly terminated nearly chisel-shaped crystals, flattened, to 3+ cm on small greenish balls of siderite, 10 cm. Also, thin white banded 2 cm blades with amber sphalerite & drusy quartz, 7 cm.
Huanuco, Huamalias, Miraflores mine
	Many habits occur here; first appeared in quantity at St. Marie-aux-mines in 2005. Usually labeled Cerro Warihuayin for the hill of the locality. Left to right: Very clear thin rectangular blades to 3-4 cm on dolomite; Thicker golden blades, also transparent, with "sawtooth" edges to about 3 cm in group; Thick, dark, zoned crystal, 4 cm; Like many, this group (3.5 cm) appears somewhat light blue if it picks up the color from its surroundings and light source; grey to clear in other lighting; Thin hexagon-shaped complex 4 cm crystal on matrix; Gemmy gold complex crystals to 3 cm; 6 cm large thin blade, slight green tinge, with dolomite, on matrix; Very clear crystals to 3.5 cm, 0.6 cm thick, 6 cm specimen; Well-zoned transparent crystals to 1.8 cm, 4x5 cm overall; Thick tabular dark yellow crystals to 3 cm, transparent with some zoning and pyrite inclusions, complex terminations. 5.5x5.5 cm overall.
Ancash, Huanzala mine
	Nice milky/clear tabular crystals to 1 cm in groups on bright galena crystals to nearly 1 cm, small pyrite crystals, 8 cm. White zoned blades to 1.5 cm on brilliant pyrite octahedrons (labeled Huaron; such octahedrons not as common from Huaron as other forms).
La Libertad, Quiruvilca district
	Clear-tan tabular blades to 3.5 cm perched on pyrite; clear tabular double crystals to 3 cm on orpiment crystals Slightly milky to clear, lustrous thick tabular crystals to 3.4 cm on edge, perched on orpiment botryoidal matrix (much realgar still left underneath in the matrix). Some bright yellow orpiment "dots" on the barite as well as orange balls. Several realgar needles to 0.4 cm on one crystal (as of 2010, anyway). 9x10 cm, quite showy.
Lima, Casapalca district
	Very thin beige blades to 3 cm on pyrite crystals, 4 cm. Also clear, zoned tabular blades to 2.5 cm on (probably) polybasite. This one appeared in '98, when Bella Vista mine barite was selling, but not so labeled.
Lima, Raura district
	White blades to several cm with sulfides. See MR 28/4.
Pasco, Huaron district
	Pointed, glassy tabular crystals to 1.5 cm, various zones of light blue-gray, nearly transparent, 12 cm. Often with pyrite.

TOP OF PAGE