Barite

specimen number:
2063564

location:
Sa Corona 'e sa Craba, Barbusi, Carbonia, South Sardinia, Sardinia, Italy

description:
Lustrous bladed slightly translucent colorless crystals of barite measuring to almost 2.5 cm in size with very little attached matrix on the backside. This is in good condition. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark.

Located near the village of Barbusi in Carbonia, South Sardinia, Italy, Sa Corona 'e sa Craba is a famous hypogenic cave complex hosted within a massive quartzite vein. The regional geology of the Sulcis region is characterized by Paleozoic basement rocks cut by hydrothermal structures, where deep, warm fluid circulations dissolved and altered the silica host rocks to form subterranean cavities. Although not developed as a commercial industrial mine, the site gained significant historical fame among speleologists and mineral collectors who explored the underground karst chambers during the twentieth century. This locality is celebrated for producing outstanding mineral specimens, most notably barite, which precipitates along cave walls and within cavities as well-formed, tabular to lamellar crystals ranging in color from pale blue and gray to nearly colorless, occasionally turning bluish upon light exposure.

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