Back to Rocks and Minerals Articles Kathy Feick The name Baryte comes from the Greek word “Barys,” meaning heavy. In fact, an alternate name for baryte is “heavy spar”. It has an unusually high specific gravity for a non-metallic mineral. Baryte. Cole Co. Wis. University of Waterloo Earth Sciences Museum Collection. Baryte is chemically inert and insoluble, but is soft with a
