Barite

specimen number:
1605106

location:
Book Cliffs, Mesa Co., Colorado, USA

description:
A thick grouping of gemmy colorless barite crystals from this classic locality. In good condition.

The Book Cliffs, stretching across western Colorado and eastern Utah, form a massive, continuous sedimentary escarpment named for the distinct way their layered strata resemble rows of books on a shelf. Geologically, the region is characterized by lower slopes of the Cretaceous Mancos Shale capped by the sandstone beds of the Mesaverde Group, which were deposited along the ancient Western Interior Seaway. Mineralogically, the area is famous among collectors for the exceptional barite crystals found weathering out of iron-stained marine concretions within the shale. These specimens are prized for forming water-clear, sharp, prismatic crystals that sit in striking contrast to their rusty matrix. Historically, while the cliffs themselves were documented by early regional surveys and explorers in the 19th century, modern collecting and small-scale claims in the areas north of Grand Junction have established the location as a premier destination for high-grade crystal specimens.

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