Barite is a barium sulfate mineral, the most important industrial mineral material for barium and barium compounds. It has a high specific gravity, a great hardness and stable chemical properties and is insoluble in water and acid; therefore, as early as the 1920s, it had been used as a weight additive of oil-gas well drilling muds.

At present about 85% of the world's barite consumption is used as a weight additive of drilling muds. The mud containing such kind of weight additive can cool bits, reinforce the hole wall and control the pressures of crude oil and gas, thus stabilizing the production of oil and gas and prevent hold blowout. In addition barite can be used in the manufacture of va-rious kinds of barium chemicals and the extraction of barium metals, e.g. barium carbonate, barium sulfate and lithopone.

The development of barite was early in China. According to the written records, it began to be used as early as the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. But regular barite mines were not constructed in China till the middle part of the 1950s. Now barite mines have been set up at Jiaoxian County, Shandong Province; Tanzishan, Hengnan  County, Hunan Province;Honghualing, Pengshui County, Sichuan Province;

Fig. 4.7.1Distribution of barite deposits of China

1. Jingtieshan, Sunan County, Gansu; 2. Dongfenggou, Wenxian County, Gansu; 3. Daxigou, Zhashui County, Shaanxi; 4. Shiti, Ankang County, Shaanxi; 5. Shuiping, Pingli County, Shaanxi; 6. Zhangziping, Pingli County, Shaanxi; 7. Zhengcheng, Pingyi, Shandong; 8. Songguantuan, Anqin County, Shandong; 9. Xishan, Zhucheng County, Shandong; 10. Fangzhuang, Tancheng County, Shandong; 11. Huashan, Gaomi County, Shandong; 12. Shigou, Junan County, Shandong; 13. Zhubaxing, Riwoq¨º,Tibet; 14. Liulin, Suizhou, Hubei; 15. Yujiachong, Jingshan County, Hubei; 16. Hongyannaowan, Wufeng County, Hubei; 17.Tanzishan, Hengnan County, Hunan; 18. Gongxi, Xinhuang County, Hunan; 19. Badu, Shangrao City, Jiangxi; 20. Lifang, Yong'an County, Fujian; 21. Leji, Zhenning County, Guizhou; 22. Dahebian, Tianzhu County, Guizhou; 23. Shenjipu, Yanhe County, Guizhou; 24. Yongshan Placer Gold Plant, Zhaotong County, Yunnan; 25. Malu, Huizhe, Yunnan; 26. Panchun, Xiangzhou County, Guangxi; 27. Sicun, Xiangzhou County, Guangxi; 28. Xianlongbao, Xianzhou County, Guangxi; 29. Puhe, Xiangzhou County, Guangxi; 30. Shengmuling, Xiangzhou County, Guangxi; 31. Banbi, Sanjiang County, Guangxi; 32. Sitong, Fusui County, Guangxi; 33. Longhua, Jingxi County, Guangxi; 34. Liwang, Yongfu, Guangxi; 35. Huangmian, Luzhai County, Guangxi; 36. Laojiang, Lingchuan County, Guangxi; 37. Dagang, Fanyu County, Guangdong.

Dingguanpu, Shibing County, Guizhou Province; Sitong, Fusui County, Guangxi; Lifang, Yong'an City, Fujian Province; and Liulin, Suizhou, Hubei Province. They have become China's barite material production bases.

Barite resources are abundant in China. It is one of China's dominant mineral resour-ces. China is also the largest barite producer and exporter in the world.