Baryte, Peru

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Click here to view Barite and here to view Best Minerals B and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.


Can you help make this a better article? What good localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures of better specimens than those we show here? Can you give us more and better information about the specimens from these localities? Can you supply better geological or historical information on these localities?


Baryte, Peru
BaSO₄ Orthorhombic
Here will go a good picture of a Baryte from Peru and general remarks about the Baryte from this country. Here are some url's to some of the better Peruvian Baryte specimens here on Mindat that can be considered for inclusion in the article. These, in most cases are just for temporary use until we can get images of the much better specimens that are almost certainly out there. We should also consider that there are probably localities out there with fine specimens that are not even mentioned on Mindat. Also in some instances there are sometimes pictures on Mindat, of specimens from a locality, but they were so ratty that I did not include them here, but there may also be really good specimens from there that we should talk about in this article.


Barite
Peru
San Genaro Mine, Castrovirreyna District,


Barite
Peru
Castrovirreyna Province, Huancavelica Department, Peru
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Barite
Peru
Cerro Warihuyn, Miraflores, Huamalíes Province, Huánuco Department, Peru
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Barite
Peru
Nueva Esperanza, Puños, Huamalíes Province, Huánuco Department, Peru
[www.mindat.org]


Barite
Peru
Quiruvilca Mine (La Libertad Mine; ASARCO Mine), Quiruvilca District, Santiago de Chuco Province, La Libertad Department, Peru
[www.mindat.org]
[www.mindat.org]


Barite
Peru
Huaron Mining District, San Jose de Huayllay District, Cerro de Pasco, Daniel Alcides Carrión Province, Pasco Department, Peru
[www.mindat.org]


Here are some notes about Baryte from Peru that may be useful to whoever writes this article.


Peru
Has produced decent barites from a number of base metal mines, but none of them are going to be “Big money pieces” as Bill Larson is fond of calling them. All the barites are from the silver and base metal mines high in the Andes and most of them are shades of white. Most of the time the best barites are associated with other minerals. Rarely do the mines produce specimens of only barite that are fine in their own right. Many pleasant specimens have been produced. As time passes we will see more decent specimens of barite come from various localities in Peru. All the mines in Peru that produce barite specimens are better known for specimen of other mineral species.
Huanuco Department, Do de Mayo Province, Huanzala. Huanzala has produced fair to good intergrown clusters of tabular white spear shaped crystals up to about 5 cm though they are usually much are smaller. The mine is much better know for the great quantity and quality of the pyrite specimens it produces. Sometimes in Lima I have been able to buy boxes of intergrown barite clusters by the kg. The problem is that the specimens are rather delicate and the specimens rarely survive the trip down from the mines without damage. Specimens that are associated with nice shiny pyrites are and galena are especially pleasing. “In 1980 barite was found associated with cuboctahedral galena crystals, both minerals were coated by calcite. …by dissolving of the overlying calcite with dilute phosphoric acid, outstanding specimens resulted which showed crystals of white barite growing on masses of bright metallic cuboctahedral galena crystals. The dilute phosphoric acid (H3PO4) did not harm the underlying galena crystals.”1 Huanzala is a remote mining camp, and much of the delicate barite is damaged because it is hard to find wrapping material in the camp. A problem that is replicated in most of the mines in Peru which are high in the Andes.
1. Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 49.

Huancavelica Department, Angaraes Province, Julcani District, Herminia Mine. “Barite is relatively common at Julcani as bladed crystals and mound-like crystal aggregates. This later habit is similar in shape to barite from the Mibladen, Morocco vanadinite area. Barite is frequently associated with the sulfides and sulfosalts, Crystals may exceed 5 cm in size and…been recorded up to 25 cm in size from the Herminia mine. Commonly whit, barite can also be gray-blue, pinkish or colorless. Julcani produced some quite attrac5ive thin, flake-like or wafer-like barite in 1987. A substantial amount of very pretty and choice barite, covered with siderite and associated with galena crystals, was produced in 1988. In the early 1990’s Julcani produced a small amount of attractive yellow barite which is associated with siderite.”1 The specimen pictured here from the Herminia mine shows large white bladed barite growing on tetrahedrite and stibnite. The crystal is more than 15 cm tall. “Barite is a common and abundant gangue mineral in Herminia and is found throughout the paragenetic sequence. Blades up to 10 inches long have been found in the Docenita vein, associated with enargite. It has been found in most mine although it is rare in Estela and Mimosa…”2
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 89. 2 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 5, 1974, p 219.

You should confirm the locality of this specimen with Terry Szenics or Teodocio Ramos. It may be from Raura?

Huancavelica Department, Castrovirrenya Province, San Genaro Mine. “San Genaro is the most prolific location for barite in Peru. Barite occurs in the San Genaro mine as translucent to opaque, white to off-white bladed crystals in good and sometimes large groups associated with sulfides and quartz. These groups are often damaged. The barite crystals may have white centers which are less transparent when compared to the white edges; this creates a two tone effect on the crystals. The barite crystals average about 2 cm in size, but may e up to 10 cm long, and occur in plates up to about 22 cm across, associated with the milky quartz. These large barite specimens may weigh up to several kilograms. Most of these specimens have been purchased by European mineral dealers. Barite also occurs at the Cuadalosa mine.”1 My experience is that Huanzala has produced more barite than the San Genaro Mine. The San Genaro mine is better known for its pyrargyrite and miarargyrite specimens.1
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 93.


La Libertad Department, Santiago de Chuco Province, Quiruvilca. “Barite is ubiquitous mineral in the Enargite Zone. The crystals are distinctly bladed, varying from paper-thin to a few millimeters thick. It is colorless to cream, cream-yellow and gray. Crystals on specimens we have seen are up to 5 cm across and are commonly translucent to transparent. The mineral occurs both as an associate of other minerals and as excellent specimens in its own right, as cabinet sized aggregates with the blades usually standing upright on the matrix. Barite is a distinctive enough association in many Quiruvilca specimens to help in confirming the locality.”1 Look at the specimen pictured here where a cluster of orpiment crystals displays a little “flower” of delicate transparent white bladed barite crystals. Quiruvilca is better known for its enargites, orpiments and pyrite.
1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 23.



Click here to view Barite and here to view Best Minerals B and here for Best Minerals A to Z and here for Fast Navigation of completed Best Minerals articles.

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2012 08:37PM by Rock Currier.

Part of the "new batch" of barites with orpiment, this has exceptionally large, undamaged crystals. Barite Peru orpiment

Rock Currier Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Click here to view Barite and here to view Best
> Minerals B and here for Best Minerals A to Z and
> here for Fast Navigation of completed Best
> Minerals articles.
>
>
> Can you help make this a better article? What good
> localities have we missed? Can you supply pictures
> of better specimens than those we show here? Can
> you give us more and better information about the
> specimens from these localities? Can you supply
> better geological or historical information on
> these localities?
>
>
> Baryte, Peru
> BaSO4 Orthorhombic
> Here will go a good picture of a Baryte from Peru
> and general remarks about the Baryte from this
> country. Here are some url's to some of the better
> Peruvian Baryte specimens here on Mindat that can
> be considered for inclusion in the article. These,
> in most cases are just for temporary use until we
> can get images of the much better specimens that
> are almost certainly out there. We should also
> consider that there are probably localities out
> there with fine specimens that are not even
> mentioned on Mindat. Also in some instances there
> are sometimes pictures on Mindat, of specimens
> from a locality, but they were so ratty that I did
> not include them here, but there may also be
> really good specimens from there that we should
> talk about in this article.
>
>
> San Genaro Mine, Castrovirreyna District,
>
> Castrovirreyna Province, Huancavelica Department,
> Peru
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
>
> Cerro Warihuyn, Miraflores, Huamalíes Province,
>
> Huánuco Department, Peru
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
>
> Nueva Esperanza, Puños, Huamalíes Province,
> Huánuco
>
> Department, Peru
> [www.mindat.org]
>
> Quiruvilca Mine (La Libertad Mine; ASARCO Mine),
>
> Quiruvilca District, Santiago de Chuco Province,
> La
>
> Libertad Department, Peru
> [www.mindat.org]
> [www.mindat.org]
>
> Huaron Mining District, San Jose de Huayllay
> District,
>
> Cerro de Pasco, Daniel Alcides Carrión Province,
> Pasco
>
> Department, Peru
> [www.mindat.org]
>
>
> Here are some notes about Baryte from Peru that
> may be useful to whoever writes this article.
>
>
> Peru
> Has produced decent barites from a number of base
> metal mines, but none of them are going to be
> “Big money pieces” as Bill Larson is fond of
> calling them. All the barites are from the silver
> and base metal mines high in the Andes and most of
> them are shades of white. Most of the time the
> best barites are associated with other minerals.
> Rarely do the mines produce specimens of only
> barite that are fine in their own right. Many
> pleasant specimens have been produced. As time
> passes we will see more decent specimens of barite
> come from various localities in Peru. All the
> mines in Peru that produce barite specimens are
> better known for specimen of other mineral
> species.
> Huanuco Department, Do de Mayo Province, Huanzala.
> Huanzala has produced fair to good intergrown
> clusters of tabular white spear shaped crystals up
> to about 5 cm though they are usually much are
> smaller. The mine is much better know for the
> great quantity and quality of the pyrite specimens
> it produces. Sometimes in Lima I have been able to
> buy boxes of intergrown barite clusters by the kg.
> The problem is that the specimens are rather
> delicate and the specimens rarely survive the trip
> down from the mines without damage. Specimens that
> are associated with nice shiny pyrites are and
> galena are especially pleasing. “In 1980 barite
> was found associated with cuboctahedral galena
> crystals, both minerals were coated by calcite.
> …by dissolving of the overlying calcite with
> dilute phosphoric acid, outstanding specimens
> resulted which showed crystals of white barite
> growing on masses of bright metallic cuboctahedral
> galena crystals. The dilute phosphoric acid
> (H3PO4) did not harm the underlying galena
> crystals.”1 Huanzala is a remote mining camp,
> and much of the delicate barite is damaged because
> it is hard to find wrapping material in the camp.
> A problem that is replicated in most of the mines
> in Peru which are high in the Andes.
> 1. Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 49.
>
> Huancavelica Department, Angaraes Province,
> Julcani District, Herminia Mine. “Barite is
> relatively common at Julcani as bladed crystals
> and mound-like crystal aggregates. This later
> habit is similar in shape to barite from the
> Mibladen, Morocco vanadinite area. Barite is
> frequently associated with the sulfides and
> sulfosalts, Crystals may exceed 5 cm in size
> and…been recorded up to 25 cm in size from the
> Herminia mine. Commonly whit, barite can also be
> gray-blue, pinkish or colorless. Julcani produced
> some quite attrac5ive thin, flake-like or
> wafer-like barite in 1987. A substantial amount of
> very pretty and choice barite, covered with
> siderite and associated with galena crystals, was
> produced in 1988. In the early 1990’s Julcani
> produced a small amount of attractive yellow
> barite which is associated with siderite.”1 The
> specimen pictured here from the Herminia mine
> shows large white bladed barite growing on
> tetrahedrite and stibnite. The crystal is more
> than 15 cm tall. “Barite is a common and
> abundant gangue mineral in Herminia and is found
> throughout the paragenetic sequence. Blades up to
> 10 inches long have been found in the Docenita
> vein, associated with enargite. It has been found
> in most mine although it is rare in Estela and
> Mimosa…”2
> 1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 89. 2
> Mineralogical Record, Vol. 5, 1974, p 219.
>
> You should confirm the locality of this specimen
> with Terry Szenics or Teodocio Ramos. It may be
> from Raura?
>
> Huancavelica Department, Castrovirrenya Province,
> San Genaro Mine. “San Genaro is the most
> prolific location for barite in Peru. Barite
> occurs in the San Genaro mine as translucent to
> opaque, white to off-white bladed crystals in good
> and sometimes large groups associated with
> sulfides and quartz. These groups are often
> damaged. The barite crystals may have white
> centers which are less transparent when compared
> to the white edges; this creates a two tone effect
> on the crystals. The barite crystals average about
> 2 cm in size, but may e up to 10 cm long, and
> occur in plates up to about 22 cm across,
> associated with the milky quartz. These large
> barite specimens may weigh up to several
> kilograms. Most of these specimens have been
> purchased by European mineral dealers. Barite also
> occurs at the Cuadalosa mine.”1 My experience is
> that Huanzala has produced more barite than the
> San Genaro Mine. The San Genaro mine is better
> known for its pyrargyrite and miarargyrite
> specimens.1
> 1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 93.
>
>
> La Libertad Department, Santiago de Chuco
> Province, Quiruvilca. “Barite is ubiquitous
> mineral in the Enargite Zone. The crystals are
> distinctly bladed, varying from paper-thin to a
> few millimeters thick. It is colorless to cream,
> cream-yellow and gray. Crystals on specimens we
> have seen are up to 5 cm across and are commonly
> translucent to transparent. The mineral occurs
> both as an associate of other minerals and as
> excellent specimens in its own right, as cabinet
> sized aggregates with the blades usually standing
> upright on the matrix. Barite is a distinctive
> enough association in many Quiruvilca specimens to
> help in confirming the locality.”1 Look at the
> specimen pictured here where a cluster of orpiment
> crystals displays a little “flower” of
> delicate transparent white bladed barite crystals.
> Quiruvilca is better known for its enargites,
> orpiments and pyrite.
> 1 Mineralogical Record, Vol. 28, 1997, p 23.
>
>
>
> Click here to view Barite and here to view Best
> Minerals B and here for Best Minerals A to Z and
> here for Fast Navigation of completed Best
> Minerals articles.


Hello,

I have purchased a nice specimen of Baryte-crystals on matrix (Dolomite) from Miraflores/Peru. An associated and well micro-crystallized mineral with fatty metallic lustre is labeled as Hematite. This is probably right, but the crystals have an untypical habit, and show a lustre that is not that of fresh Hematite. There occur cherry-red internal reflexes in the greater crystals (not untypical for Hematite). The crystal habit und the fatty lustre lead to the hypothesis, that the xls consists eventually not of Hematite but rather of Pyrargyrite. Are you familiar with ore minerals from Miraflores? I would like to exclude or confirm the hypothesis "Pyrargyrite". I think, with a probality of ca. 90% this mineral is in fact Hematite.

Thank you,
Michael

This is a unusual (I think) specimen from Cerro Warihuyn, Miraflores.
It is a floater, about 10x8x5cm, crystallized all around with of hundreds of very thin and clear blades.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/2011 01:40PM by Andrea Sansoni.

Andrea,
We won't consider your barite images for inclusion in a Best Minerals article until they have been uploaded into the mindat general image database. It would appear that you have not uploaded any images to the Mindat Database. If you would like to know how to do this, click on this link. Uploading specimen images to Mindat

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.