witherite
witherite from Cumberland in England
Detailed sheet
witherite
Its name honors the British physician and mineralogist W. Withering (1741-1799).
Witherite is toxic in powder.
CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
BaCO3
barium carbonate
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Main color
yellow
Other colors
white, grey, colourless
Color of streak
white
Luster
resinous, vitreous
Hardness
3.0 to 3.5
Density
4.25 to 0.00
Cleavage
good
Fracture
uneven
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
Transparency
translucent, transparent
Refractive index
1.530 - 1.678
Double refraction
0.149
very strong biaxial negative
visible double refraction
Yes
Dispersion
-
Pleochroism
absent
Number of colors
1
Fluorescence
moderate
bluish fluorescence and phosphorescence
CRYSTALS PROPERTIES
prismatic pseudo-hexagonal, often twinned
crystals system
orthorhombic
OTHER INFORMATIONS
APPROACHING GEMS
Exploited
sites
It is found in Zaire, Namibia, Australia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Austria, Canada, United States, Brazil.
use in jewelry
collection stone
Other
Gems
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