Barytocalcite

Barytocalcite is an anhydrous barium calcium carbonate mineral with the chemical formula BaCa(CO3)2.

It is trimorphous with alstonite and paralstonite, that is to say the three minerals have the same formula but different structures.

[4] It was first described in 1824 for an occurrence in the Blagill Mine in North Pennines, Cumbria (Cumberland), England, and named for its composition.

Barytocalcite is a biaxial (-) mineral with refractive indices nα = 1.525, nβ = 1.684 and nγ = 1.686.

Webmin[2] describes the mineral as non-fluorescent, Dana[3] categorises it as weakly fluorescent and Mindat[4] states that it is fluorescent dull yellow under both longwave and shortwave ultraviolet light.

Calcite CaCO3 and dolomite CaMg(CO3)2 are carbonates where calcium Ca and magnesium Mg replace the barium in the formula for barytocalcite, BaCa(CO3)2.

Barytocalcite is soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid HCl[4] and it is not radioactive.

In the past lustrous, transparent, prismatic crystals of barytocalcite have been found there[6] in veins in limestone, associated with fluorite, calcite and baryte.