Mineral Species: Barite var. Barite Rose
Chemical Formula: BaSO4
Chemical Name: Barium Sulfate
Mineral Class: Sulfate
Mineral Notes: Barite is easily identified by its heavy weight. Most similar minerals are much lighter. It tends to form well defined flattened crystals. Occasionally it forms large rounded mounds from precipitation of hot, barium-rich springs.
Description: An extremely well formed example of a rare Barite formation resembling a flower. These Barite Roses, as the specimens are called, are very rare and no one knows how they form. Each of the petals is an individual crystal and these vary in colour along their length from silvery grey at the edges to gold at the centre. Otherwise the rest of the matrix is covered by a thin layer of amorphous Barite resembling candle wax, both in colour and lustre. A very aesthetically pleasing specimen.
Location: Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England.
