Barite

Posted 2 May 2011 by

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Specimen unearthed by Todd Shannon.
Barite crystal on limestone, Grand Junction, Colorado.

9 Comments

wright1 · 2 May 2011

Lovely, subtle colors and a strikingly composed image.

Prometheus68 · 2 May 2011

This may be an instance of Freudian pareidolia, but it looks like dickite to me.

;-)

Shebardigan · 2 May 2011

/me wants some details of location. (Grand Junction is my home town)

Todd · 3 May 2011

I am the collector of the specimen. Responding to the contributions so far:

This specimen is confirmed as barite. Dickite is a monoclinic clay mineral. Clays, by their very nature are very small crystals, and in their habit of the monoclinic form are generally flat "books," much like mica. Barite is orthorhombic and much larger. The larger crystal is approximately 3.5 cm long.

The collection location, which is a popular area for barite and calcite collection, is at the base of the Bookcliff Mountains in Grand Junction. There are multiple areas spread over several square miles where collecting is good. Directions to the area can be found in many of the fine Colorado mineral collecting books or by an internet search. Happy collecting.

Chris Booth · 4 May 2011

Ah, to be young and in love....

Chris Booth · 4 May 2011

Seriously, that is a lovely photo, and a really cool find. Thank you.

Stanton · 4 May 2011

Chris Booth said: Ah, to be young and in love....
Personally, I'm not fond of rocky romances.

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