Barite

specimen number:
2063017

location:
PAGA Mine, Cartersville, Bartow Co., Georgia, USA

description:
Classic grouping of colorless to slightly bluish semi lustrous translucent barite crystals with little or no attached matrix. In good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark, as well as one from the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum at Michigan Tech University.

The geology of the Cartersville mining district in Bartow County, Georgia, features folded and faulted Paleozoic carbonate rocks and quartzites that underwent extensive weathering, concentrating residual minerals in overlying clays. Commercial mining at the PAGA Mine began in the early 20th century, growing into a major producer of industrial barite used for drilling fluids and chemical manufacturing. As large-scale industrial extraction wound down, the site and surrounding residual clay banks became legendary among mineral collectors for yielding striking crystal specimens, notably tabular barite rosettes and crystalline clusters.

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