Also referred to as baryte, from the Greek word for "heavy", or Bologna Stone, it attained a measure of notoriety in the 17th century for some specimens that were found near Bologna, Italy by an alchemist who by the process of calcination, made the specimens phosphoresce for as long as 4 hours. Some natural Bologna Stones do NOT fluoresce or phosphoresce at all, and then there are some that do, all depending on the amount of impurities within the stone. Consisting of barium sulfate, it is generally white or colorless, though it has been found to have light shades of blue, yellow, grey, and brown, and it is the main source of barium extraction. Despite containing the heavy metal barium, it is non-toxic because of its extreme insolubility. Barite occurs in an exceptionally diverse series of environments, and is capable of being deposited by a number of different processes that include biogenic, hydrothermal, evaporation, and others. It can commonly be found in lead-zinc veins in limestone, in conjunction with hematite ores, and also in hot spring deposits. The mineral has also been identified as a constituent of meteorites, and has been found alongside other minerals, such as anglesite and celestine. It is primarily used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in the oil and gas exploration fields, as a percentage of the mud mix. Because it is non-magnetic, it does not interfere with any magnetic measurements or instruments used around the borehole. Some of its other uses throughout history have been as a filler in paint and plastics, as well as in the production of barium hydroxide for sugar refinement, and as a white pigment for textiles, paper, and paint.Origin: Canada
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