A large and very sculptural cluster of barite crystals from the Linwood Mine.  The arrangement of the crystals is unusually three-dimensional, typically most of the crystals are more of less oriented within the same plane.  Some faces are lustrous, others have bits of sediment that give a more matte finish. .

Although not particularly well known outside the US, the Linwood Mine has produced some of the country's finest (and certainly largest) barite crystals, though it had not received the same attention as Elk Creek (South Dakota), the various Colorado localities, or the Meikle Mine (Nevada).

This piece is a bit older than the rest on this page, begin found approximately 4 years ago. 

Opened in 1944, the Linwood Mine is an active producer of calcium carbonate products, which are used in glass and plastic manufacture, cements and other building materials, feed, water purification, and various other chemical applications.  Given the high purity of product necessary for such uses, the presence of these barium sulfate crystals is actually considered a bad thing--when crushed into the mix, they become contaminants.

The site was originally operated as a quarry, though is now an underground mine.