Baryte is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate (BaSO4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. It is found across the world and is deposited through many processes including biogenic, hydrothermal, and evaporation. Early records of baryte date to the 16th century, when a radiating form gained notoriety among alchemists for specimens found near Bologna, Italy. Carl Wilhelm Scheele determined that baryte contained a new element in 1774, but elemental barium was not isolated until 1808 by Humphry Davy, using electrolysis of molten barium salts. Modern uses of baryte include oil and gas drilling, oxygen and sulfur isotopic analysis, and radiometric dating. These crystals of barite on a dolomite crystal matrix were extracted from Cerro Warihuyn in Miraflores, Peru.Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus