BARITE Environment: Intrusion-related, Epithermal, Volcanogenic massive sulphide BaS04 Alteration: Sericitc, Argilic, Advanced Argilic Characteristics Bate is a common hydrothermal mineral in a variety of hydrothermal environments. It forms a minor late phase in veins, cavities and vugs and is @ major alteration phase in some stratiform deposits. In te later, it may also ‘ceur as beds of massive bart, laminated bate, famboidal bart, or reworked and breclate baste Hand Specimen: Barte is typically white and less commonly yellow, brown, grey, greenish or blue. It occurs as tabular and prismatic crystals ‘Thin Section: Barite i usually colourless but may have pale yellow or ple blue nts. 1c occurs in granular aggregates ‘or in masses of suhedral bladed or tabular erystals in veins and as cavity infill. Cleavage traces occu at right angles on (110) or on (O10) and asa single set on (001), Related Minerals ‘Associated: alubite, anhydrite, carbonate, Accessory: calcite, celeste, chaleopyrit, kaolinite, quan, sericte dolomite, uorte,galena, manganite, pyrite, siderite, sphalenie, stibnte Discussion Barite precipitates with decreasing temperature from oxidized fluids with moderate salinities over temperature range up to 300°C. At low salinities, barte becomes more soluble (retrograde solubility) above 100°C. Late barte fills veins and cavities in epithermal environments and jasperoids, reflecting deposition associsted with decreasing temperature and increasing oxidation. In the seafloor environment, baium is transported in saline reduced fluids, but precipitates through interaction with cool seawater containing sulphate. ‘This may happen below the seafloor and/or at the seawater - rock interface, where extensive battecch sedimentary beds form, References ‘Aribas, A Je, 1995. Bpithermal high-sulfdation deposits - a review, in J.F.H. Thompson, ed, Magmas, Figs, and Ore Deposits: Mineralogical Assocation of Canada, Shor Course Volume 23, 419-454 Goodfellow, W-D. and Lydon, J.W., 1993, Geology and genesis of straliorm sediment-hosted (SEDEX) zinc lead-slver sulphide deposits, in Kirkham, R.V., Sinclair, W.D., Thorpe, Ri. and Duke, 1M., eds, Mineral Deposit Modeling: Geological Association of Canada, Special Paper 40, p. 201-281, Kuehn, C.A. and Rose, A W., 1995, Carlin gold deposits: ongin in a deep zone of mixing between normally pressured and overpressured fluids: Economic Geology, v.90, p. 1736. Sewell, D. M. and Wheatley, C.LV., 1994, The Lerokis and Kali Kuning submarine exhalative go silver barite {eposts, Wetar Island, Maluku, Indonesia, ix van Lecawen, T.M., Hedenquist,J.W., James, LP. and Dos, LAS. eds, Mineral Deposits of Indonesia; Discoveries of the Past 25 years: Joumal of Geochemical Exploration, v. $0, p. 351-370. Figures 9.1 OC. Tabular crystals of barite as infill ofa vug in silicfied andesites. Dobroyde prospect, New South Wales, a high-sulphiation epithermal precious metal prspect 9.2 DC. Tabular barite intergrown with pyrite in a vein. Dobroyderospect, New South Wales. 93° TS (PPL). Vein‘cavity infill of coarse-grained pale arey-pink (high relief) barte overgrown on quer and sulphides (galena overgrown on pale yellow sphalerte). FOV =2.2 mm 94 TS (CXPL). Large tabular crystal of barte overgrown on sulphides (sphalerite and galena) and in turn overgrown by chaleedonic quartz, Fractures cutting chrough the barite ae ifilled by chalcopyrite. KIiik area, southeastern Java, Indonesia, FOV = 2.2 mm. ‘Submitted by: Michelle M. Hawke, Terry Leach and Co., New Zealand ‘Anne 1B. Thompson, eaSerence Consultants Ine, Vancouver, British Columbia John FH, Thompson, MDRU, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia 30 Atlas of Alteration