Barite (set of 2)

specimen number:
2292343

location:
Cleveland Co., Oklahoma, USA

description:
A set of two loose crystallized clusters of barite, these often referred to as barite roses. The size provided is in average for the two. There are no points of attachment on either specimen.

The barite roses of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, are mineral specimens formed within the Permian-aged Garber Sandstone, which is approximately 250 million years old. Geologically, these rose-like shapes occurred when deep, barium-rich groundwater migrated upward and mixed with sulfate-rich waters or reached aerated zones within the porous sandstone, causing barium sulfate to precipitate as barite crystals. As these crystals grew, they incorporated quartz sand grains from the host rock, while trace amounts of iron oxide imparted a distinctive reddish-brown color. Each individual petal is a single, disc-shaped crystal, a rounded habit that geologists hypothesize resulted from organic compounds in the water stunting the growth of the crystal corners. Historically, the specimens became popular among mineral collectors during the twentieth century, leading the Oklahoma Legislature to designate the barite rose as the official state rock in 1968, followed by the city of Noble, located in Cleveland County, being declared the official rose rock capital in 1983.

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