Editing Baryte (section)

==Uses==
[[File:BariteWorldProductionUSGS.PNG|thumb]]

===In oil and gas drilling===

Worldwide, 69–77% of baryte is used as a weighting agent for [[drilling fluid]]s in [[oil and gas exploration]] to suppress high formation pressures and prevent [[blowout (well drilling)|blowouts]]. As a well is drilled, the bit passes through various formations, each with different characteristics. The deeper the hole, the more baryte is needed as a percentage of the total mud mix. An additional benefit of baryte is that it is non-magnetic and thus does not interfere with magnetic measurements taken in the borehole, either during [[logging-while-drilling]] or in separate drill-hole logging. Baryte used for drilling petroleum wells can be black, blue, brown, or gray depending on the ore body. The baryte is finely ground so that at least 97% of the material, by weight, can pass through a 200-mesh (75&nbsp;μm) screen, and no more than 30%, by weight, can be less than 6&nbsp;μm diameter. The ground baryte also must be dense enough so that it has a [[specific gravity]] of 4.2 or greater, is soft enough to not damage the bearings of a tricone drill bit, is chemically inert, and contains no more than 250 milligrams per kilogram of soluble alkaline salts.<ref name="usgs"/> In August 2010, the [[American Petroleum Institute]] published specifications to modify the 4.2 drilling grade standards for baryte to include 4.1 SG materials.

===In oxygen and sulfur isotopic analysis===
[[File:Baryte Morocco.jpg|thumb|Baryte ([[salmon (color)|salmon-colored]]) with [[cerussite]] from [[Morocco]]]]

In the deep ocean, away from continental sources of sediment, [[pelagic]] baryte precipitates and forms a significant amount of the sediments. Since baryte has oxygen, systematics in the [[Δ18O|δ<sup>18</sup>O]] of these sediments have been used to help constrain [[paleotemperature]]s for oceanic crust.

The variations in [[sulfur isotope]]s (<sup>34</sup>S/<sup>32</sup>S) are being examined in [[evaporite]] minerals containing sulfur (e.g. baryte) and [[Carbonate-associated sulfate|carbonate-associated sulfates]] to determine past seawater sulfur concentrations, which can help identify specific depositional periods such as [[Anoxic event|anoxic]] or oxic conditions. The use of sulfur isotope reconstruction is often paired with oxygen when a molecule contains both elements.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Kastner, Miriam |title=Oceanic minerals: Their origin, nature of their environment, and significance |journal=Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |volume=96 |issue=7 |pages=3380–7 |date=30 March 1999 |pmid=10097047 |pmc=34278 |doi=10.1073/pnas.96.7.3380 |bibcode=1999PNAS...96.3380K|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Geochronological dating ===
Dating the baryte in [[hydrothermal vent]]s has been one of the major methods to determine their ages.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Grasty |first1=Robert L. |last2=Smith |first2=Charles |last3=Franklin |first3=James M. |last4=Jonasson |first4=Ian R. |date=1988-09-01 |title=Radioactive orphans in barite-rich chimneys, Axial Caldera, Juan De Fuca Ridge |url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/canmin/article-abstract/26/3/627/12059/Radioactive-orphans-in-barite-rich-chimneys-Axial |journal=The Canadian Mineralogist |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=627–636 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Noguchi |first1=Takuroh |last2=Shinjo |first2=Ryuichi |last3=Ito |first3=Michihiro |last4=Takada |first4=Jitsuya |last5=Oomori |first5=Tamotsu |date=2011 |title=Barite geochemistry from hydrothermal chimneys of the Okinawa Trough: insight into chimney formation and fluid/sediment interaction |journal=Journal of Mineralogical and Petrological Sciences |volume=106 |issue=1 |pages=26–35 |doi=10.2465/jmps.090825 |bibcode=2011JMPeS.106...26N |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Takamasa |first1=Asako |last2=Nakai |first2=Shun'ichi |last3=Sato |first3=Fumihiro |last4=Toyoda |first4=Shin |last5=Banerjee |first5=Debabrata |last6=Ishibashi |first6=Junichiro |date=February 2013 |title=U–Th radioactive disequilibrium and ESR dating of a barite-containing sulfide crust from South Mariana Trough |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1871101412001896 |journal=Quaternary Geochronology |volume=15 |pages=38–46 |doi=10.1016/j.quageo.2012.12.002|bibcode=2013QuGeo..15...38T |s2cid=129020357 }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Citation |last1=Fujiwara |first1=Taisei |title=ESR Dating of Barite in Sea-Floor Hydrothermal Sulfide Deposits in the Okinawa Trough |date=2015 |work=Subseafloor Biosphere Linked to Hydrothermal Systems |pages=369–386 |editor-last=Ishibashi |editor-first=Jun-ichiro |place=Tokyo |publisher=Springer Japan |doi=10.1007/978-4-431-54865-2_29 |isbn=978-4-431-54864-5 |last2=Toyoda |first2=Shin |last3=Uchida |first3=Ai |last4=Ishibashi |first4=Jun-ichiro |last5=Nakai |first5=Shun’ichi |last6=Takamasa |first6=Asako |editor2-last=Okino |editor2-first=Kyoko |editor3-last=Sunamura |editor3-first=Michinari|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Tsang |first1=Man-Yin |last2=Toyoda |first2=Shin |last3=Tomita |first3=Makiko |last4=Yamamoto |first4=Yuzuru |date=2022-08-01 |title=Thermal stability and closure temperature of barite for electron spin resonance dating |journal=Quaternary Geochronology |volume=71 |pages=101332 |doi=10.1016/j.quageo.2022.101332 |bibcode=2022QuGeo..7101332T |s2cid=248614826 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Common methods to date hydrothermal baryte include [[radiometric dating]]<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> and [[electron spin resonance dating]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

===Other uses===

Baryte is used in added-value applications which include filler in paint and plastics, sound reduction in engine compartments, coat of automobile finishes for smoothness and corrosion resistance, friction products for automobiles and trucks, [[radiation shield|radiation-shield]]ing [[concrete]], [[glass]] [[ceramic]]s, and medical applications (for example, a [[barium meal]] before a contrast [[CT scan]]). Baryte is supplied in a variety of forms, and the price depends on the amount of processing; filler applications command higher prices following intense physical processing by grinding and micronising, and there are further premiums for whiteness and brightness and color.<ref name="usgs"/> It is also used to produce other barium chemicals, notably [[barium carbonate]] which is used for the manufacture of [[LED]] glass for [[television]] and [[computer screen]]s (historically in [[cathode-ray tube]]s) and for [[dielectric]]s.

Historically, baryte was used for the production of [[barium hydroxide]] for [[sugar refining]], and as a white [[pigment]] for [[textile]]s, [[paper]], and [[paint]].<ref name="Dana"/>

Although baryte contains the [[toxic heavy metal|toxic]] [[alkaline earth metal#Barium|alkaline earth metal]] [[barium]], it is not detrimental for human health, animals, plants, and the environment because barium sulfate is extremely [[insoluble]] in water.

It is also sometimes used as a [[gemstone]].<ref>Thomas, Arthur (2009). ''Gemstones: Properties, identification and use''. New Holland Publishers. p. 138. {{ISBN|1847734847}}</ref>