Baryte (barite)
Baryte crystals on dolomite from Cumbria, England (size: 5.4×4.6 cm)
General
Category	Sulfate mineral, barite group
Chemical formula	BaSO4
Strunz classification	07.AD.35
Dana classification	28.03.01.01
Crystal symmetry	Orthorhombic (2/m 2/m 2/m) dipyramidal
Unit cell	a = 8.884(2) Å, b = 5.457(3) Å, c = 7.157(2) Å; A = 4
Identification
Color	Colorless, white, light shades of blue, yellow, grey, brown
Crystal habit	Tabular parallel to base, fibrous, nodular to massive
Crystal system	Orthorhombic
Cleavage	Perfect cleavage parallel to base and prism faces: {001} Perfect, {210} Perfect, {010} Imperfect
Fracture	Irregular/uneven
Tenacity	Brittle
Mohs scale hardness	3-3.5
Luster	Vitreous, pearly
Streak	White
Diaphaneity	transparent to opaque
Specific gravity	4.3–5
Density	4.48 g/cm3[1]
Optical properties	biaxial positive
Refractive index	nα = 1.634–1.637 nβ = 1.636–1.638 nγ = 1.646–1.648
Birefringence	0.012
Fusibility	4, yellowish green barium flame
Diagnostic features	white color, high specific gravity, characteristic cleavage and crystals
Solubility	low
References	[2][3][4][5]

Baryte, or barite, (BaSO₄) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate.^[2] The baryte group consists of baryte, celestine, anglesite and anhydrite. Baryte itself is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of barium. Baryte and celestine form a solid solution (Ba,Sr)SO₄.^[1]

Names and history[link]

The unit cell of barite

The radiating form, sometimes referred to as Bologna Stone, attained some notoriety among alchemists for the phosphorescent specimens found in the 17th century near Bologna by Vincenzo Casciarolo.^[6]

The name baryte is derived from the Greek word βαρύς (heavy). The American spelling barite^[2] is used by the USGS^[7] and more often used in modern Scientific journals including those published by the Netherlands-based Elsevier journals. The International Mineralogical Association adopted "barite" as the official spelling when it formed in 1959^{[citation needed]}, but recommended adopting the older "baryte" spelling in 1978,^[8] notably ignored by the Mineralogical Society of America. The American Petroleum Institute specification API 13/ISO 13500 which governs baryte for drilling purposes does not refer to any specific mineral, but rather a material that meets that specification, in practice this is usually the mineral baryte.

The term "primary baryte" refers to the first marketable product, which includes crude baryte (run of mine) and the products of simple beneficiation methods, such as washing, jigging, heavy media separation, tabling, flotation. Most crude baryte requires some upgrading to minimum purity or density. Baryte that is used as an aggregate in a "heavy" cement is crushed and screened to a uniform size. Most baryte is ground to a small, uniform size before it is used as a filler or extender, an addition to industrial products, or a weighting agent in petroleum well drilling mud.

Other names[link]

Baryte has gone by other names such as barytine,^[8] barytite,^[8] schwerspath,^[8] barytes,^[2] Heavy Spar,^[2] or tiff.^[3]

Mineral associations and locations[link]

Baryte with Galena and Hematite from Poland

Abandoned baryte mine shaft near Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland.

Baryte occurs in a large number of depositional environments, and is deposited through a large number of processes including biogenic, hydrothermal, and evaporation, among others.^[1] Baryte commonly occurs in lead-zinc veins in limestones, in hot spring deposits, and with hematite ore. It is often associated with the minerals anglesite and celestine. It has also been identified in meteorites.^[9]

In the USA, baryte has been found at locations in Cheshire, Connecticut, De Kalb, New York, Fort Wallace, New Mexico, and is quarried in Arkansas, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Nevada, and Missouri.^[2] Localities outside the USA include Baia Sprie, Romania, Westmoreland, Cornwall, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Durham, Muirshiel (where zinc was also retracted), Perthshire, Argyllshire and Surrey in the UK,^[2] China, India, Morocco, Peru, Chile, Liberia, Turkey, Thailand, Ireland (where it was actively mined on Benbulben^[10]), Canada, Iran, Brazil, Greece, and Barberton Mountain Land, South Africa.^[11]

The major barite producers (in thousand tonnes, data for 2010) are as follows: China (3,600), India (1,000), United States (670), Morocco (460), Iran (250), Turkey (150) and Kazakhstan (100).^[12]

Uses[link]

Some 77% worldwide is used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration to suppress high formation pressures and prevent blowouts. As a well is drilled, the bit passes through various formations, each with different characteristics. The deeper the hole, the more barite is needed as a percentage of the total mud mix. An additional benefit of barite 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. Barite used for drilling petroleum wells can be black, blue, brown or gray depending on the ore body. The barite is finely ground so that at least 97% of the material, by weight, can pass through a 200-mesh (75-μm) screen, and no more than 30%, by weight, can be less than 6 μm diameter. The ground barite also must be dense enough so that its specific gravity is 4.2 or greater, soft enough to not damage the bearings of a tricone drill bit, chemically inert, and containing no more than 250 milligrams per kilogram of soluble alkaline salts.^[7]

Other uses are 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-shielding cement, glass ceramics and medical applications (for example, a barium meal before a contrast CAT scan). Baryte is supplied in a variety of forms and the price depends on the amount of processing; filler applications commanding higher prices following intense physical processing by grinding and micronising, and there are further premiums for whiteness and brightness and color.^[7]

Historically baryte was used for the production of barium hydroxide for sugar refining, and as a white pigment for textiles, paper, and paint.^[2]

Although baryte contains a "heavy" metal (barium), it is not considered to be a toxic chemical by most governments because of its extreme insolubility.

Paleothermometry[link]

Baryte with Cerussite from Morocco

In the deep ocean, away from continental sources of sediment, pelagic baryte crystallizes out and forms a significant amount of the sediments. Since baryte has oxygen, systematics in the δ¹⁸O of these sediments have been used to help constrain paleotemperatures for oceanic crust. Similarly the variations in sulfur isotopes are also being exploited.^[13]

See also[link]

• Rose rock

References[link]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: "Barite". http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/barite/myb1-2009-barit.pdf. 

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Barytes.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barite

Bhupen Hazarika
Dr. Bhupen Hazarika
Born	(1926-09-08)8 September 1926 Sadiya, Assam, Indian Empire
Died	5 November 2011(2011-11-05) (aged 85) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1]
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Musician, singer, poet, filmmaker, lyricist
Years active	1939-2011
Notable work(s)	Rudaali Darmiyaan: In Between Gaja Gamini Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence Indramalati
Influenced by	Bishnu Rabha[citation needed]
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Political movement	Indian Peoples Theater Association
Spouse	Priyamvada Patel (1950-1963)
Partner	Kalpana Lajmi (1972–2011)
Children	Tej Bhupen Hazarika (b. 1952)
Awards	Padma Shri (1977) Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1992) Padma Bhushan (2001) Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2008) Asom Ratna (2009) Muktijoddha Padak (posthumously, 2011)
Signature	150px
Website
Official website

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika (Assamese:ড: ভূপেন হাজৰিকা) (1926–2011) was an Indian lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam. He belonged to Dom, the untouchable caste. His songs, written and sung mainly in the Assamese language by himself, are marked by humanity and universal brotherhood; and have been translated and sung in many languages, most notable in Bengali, and Hindi. Known for writing bold lyrics with themes of communal amity, universal justice and empathy, his songs have become popular among all sections of ethnic and religious communities in Assam, besides West Bengal and Bangladesh. He is acknowledged widely in the Hindi film industry for introducing Hindi film to the sounds and folk music of Assam and Northeast India. He received the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in the year 1975. Winner of Padmashri (1997), Padmabhushan (2001), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2008) and the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award in the year 1992, Dr. Hazarika was posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award in the year 2012. The Government of Assam honoured him with the title Asom Ratna, the highest Civilian Award in the state of Assam. Dr. Hazarika also held the position of the Chairman of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi from December 1998 to December 2003.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Hazarika was born on 8 September 1926 to Nilakanta and Shantipriya Hazarika in Sadiya, Assam. His father was originally from Nazira, a town located in Sivasagar district. The eldest of ten children, Bhupen Hazarika (as also his siblings) was exposed to the musical influence of his mother, who exposed him to lullabies and traditional Music of Assam. His father moved to the Bharalumukh region of Guwahati in 1929,^[2] in search of better prospects, where Bhupen Hazarika spent his early childhood. In 1932 his father further moved to Dhubri,^[3] and in 1935 to Tezpur.^[2] It was in Tezpur that Bhupen Hazarika, then 10 years of age, was discovered by Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha where he sang a Borgeet taught by his mother at a public function. In 1936, Bhupen Hazarika accompanied them to Kolkata where he recorded his first song at the Aurora Studio for the Selona Company.^[2] His association with the icons of Assamese Culture at Tezpur was the beginning of his artistic growth and credentials.

Education[link]

He studied at Sonaram High School at Guwahati, Dhubri Government High School^[3] and matriculated from Tezpur High School in 1940. He completed his Intermediate Arts from Cotton College in 1942, and his BA (1944) and MA (1946) in Political Science from Banaras Hindu University. For a brief period he worked at All India Radio, Guwahati when he won a scholarship from Columbia University and set sail for New York in 1949. There he earned a Ph.D. (1952) on his thesis "Proposals for Preparing India's Basic Education to use Audio-Visual Techniques in Adult Education".

In New York he befriended Paul Robeson, who influenced him.^[4] His song Bistirno parore is based on the imagery and theme of Robeson's Ol' Man River. He was exposed to the Spiritual, and the multi-lingual version of We are in the Same Boat Brother became a regular feature in his stage performance. At Columbia University, he met Priyamvada Patel, whom he married in 1950. Tez Hazarika, their only child, was born in 1952,^[5] and he returned to India in 1953.

Professional life[link]

After completing his MA he briefly worked at the All India Radio station at Guwahati^[5] before embarking for his doctoral studies at Columbia University.

Soon after completing his education, he became a teacher at the Gauhati University.^[4]

He was elected the President of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1993.^[6]

Later life[link]

He met Kalpana Lajmi in the 1980s^[7] and they made the film Ek Pal (' at the Internet Movie Database) (1986). Subsequently, Lajmi began assisting him professionally and personally till the end of his life.^[8][9][10]

He was persuaded by the Bharatiya Janata Party via Kalpana Lajmi to enter the electoral fray as its candidate in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from the Guwahati constituency,^[11] which he lost to the INC candidate Kirip Chaliha.

Death[link]

Hazarika was hospitalized in the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai in 2011.^[12][13] He was admitted to the intensive care unit on 30 June 2011. He died of multi-organ failure on 5 November 2011.^[14][15][16] His body lay in state at Judges Field in Guwahati and cremated on 9 November 2011 near the Brahmaputra river in a plot of land donated by Gauhati University. His funeral was attended by an estimated half a million people.^[17][18]

Artist's biography[link]

Beginnings[link]

A young Bhupen Hazarika was noticed by the doyens of Assamese culture, Jyotiprasad Agarwala and Bishnuprasad Rabha, when he had performed a Borgeet at the age of 10 in Tezpur. Subsequently, Hazarika sang two songs in Agarwala's film Indramalati (1939):^[19][20] Kaxote Kolosi Loi and Biswo Bijoyi Naujawan at the age of 12. He wrote his first song, Agnijugor Firingoti Moi at the age of 13^[4] and he was well on his way to becoming a lyricist, composer and singer.

IPTA years[link]

Hazarika began close association with the leftist Indian People's Theatre Association soon after returning from the USA in 1953.^[4] and became the Secretary of the Reception Committee of the Third All Assam Conference of IPTA, held in Guwahati in 1955.

Later years[link]

In the period after the release of Ek Pal (1986) until his death, Bhupen Hazarika mainly concentrated on Hindi films, most of which were directed by Kalpana Lajmi. Ek Pal (1986), Rudaali (1993) and Daman (2001) are major films this period. Many of his earlier songs were re-written in Hindi and used as played-back songs in these films. These songs tried to cater to the Hindi film milieu and their social activist lyrics were browbeaten into the lowest common denominator.^[21]

Legacy and influences[link]

Hazarika (right) with Hartmut König (left) at the Berlin Festival of Political Songs in 1972

As a singer, Hazarika was known for his baritone voice and diction;^[22] as a lyricist, he was known for poetic compositions and parables which touched on themes ranging from romance to social and political commentary; and as a composer, for his use of folk music.^{[citation needed]} Some of his most famous compositions were adaptations of American Black Spiritual that he had learned from Paul Robeson, whom he had befriended during his years in New York City in the early 1950s.^[23]

Awards and honors[link]

• Award for the Best Regional Film (Chameli Memsaab; music by Bhupen Hazarika) in the 23rd National Film Awards (1975)^[24]
• Padma Shri - the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India (1977)
• Gold medal from the State Government of Arunachal Pradesh for "outstanding contribution towards tribal welfare, and uplift of tribal culture through cinema and music." (1979)^[25]
• All India Critic Association Award for best performing folk artist (1979)
• In 1979 and 1980 he won the Ritwik Ghatak Award as best music director for two theatre plays, Mohua Sundari, and Nagini Kanyar Kahini
• Bengal Journalist's Association Indira Gandhi Smriti Puraskar in (1987)
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987)
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1992)
• First Indian to win Best Music for the film Rudaali at the Asia Pacific International Film Festival in Japan (1993)
• Padma Bhushan - the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India (2001)
• Honorary Degree from Tezpur University (2001)
• 10th Kalakar Award for Lifetime Achievement in the year 2002, Kolkata.
• Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (2008)
• Asom Ratna - the highest civilian award in the State of Assam, India (2009)
• In February 2009, the All Assam Students Union erected a life size statue of Hazarika on the banks of Digholi Pukhuri in Guwahati.^[26]
• Muktijoddha Padak - the highest civilian award by Bangladesh Government (posthumously, 2011)
• Asom Sahitya Sabha has honoured him with the title "Biswa Ratna".
• Padma Vibhushan - second highest civilian award in the Republic of India (2012)^[27]

Filmography[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Gallery[link]

Some relevant photographs

People outside Hazarika's home on 7 November 2011   Hazarika lying in repose in Judge field, Guwahati. 8 November 2011   Paltan Bazar, Guwahati, December 2011, one of many centres commemorating Lt. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika   Hazarika lying in repose in Judge field, Guwahati. 8 November 2011