Barite is a barium sulfate mineral (BaSO₄) that serves as the principal ore of barium and is characterized by high specific gravity, chemical inertness, and low solubility in water. Crystallizing typically in the orthorhombic system, it commonly occurs in hydrothermal veins, sedimentary exhalative deposits, and residual accumulations. In research and industrial applications, barite is extensively used as a weighting agent in drilling fluids for hydrocarbon exploration, as a filler and extender in polymers and paints, and as a radiation-shielding aggregate due to barium’s high atomic number, which enhances attenuation of X-rays and gamma rays.
You've probably seen slimy mats of brownish green clinging to rocks in streams or on lake beds, and perhaps not given it another thought. But George Mason University's Rosalina Stancheva Christova has. For more than 20 years, ...
Ecology
Jun 1, 2026
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Flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius), the world's largest skate species measuring over two meters in length, live hidden on the rugged seabed around Scotland. Their life in the darkness, deep underwater, makes it extremely ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 28, 2025
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Trawling restrictions not only benefit fish and shellfish; anemones and corals are also becoming more common, according to a new study from the University of Gothenburg. Twenty-six years of underwater videos from the depths ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 3, 2025
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An undersea submersible has spotted crabs, worms and fish thriving on the surfaces of World War II explosives thought to be toxic to marine life.
Ecology
Sep 28, 2025
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