A mineral compound containing barium and sulfate, also known as barite or heavy spar.
From 'baryto-' (barium) and 'sulphate' (sulfuric salt), named directly for its chemical composition using Greek and Latin roots combined with mineral classification.
Barite (barytosulphate) is so dense that it's used in drilling fluids for oil wells—drillers literally pump it into the ground to make other materials heavier and more controllable. Heavy spar: making drilling companies happy since the 1800s!
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