The Sulfates

The sulfates are made up of one or more metals in combination with sulfur and oxygen. The sulfur and oxygen atoms form a unit with one sulfur atom in the center and four oxygen atoms forming a square around it. These atoms form a tetrahedron crystal pattern. The chemical formula of the group is:

SO₄

This class of minerals tends to be evaporates or forms from volcanically heated water. As a group they are soft and pale in color and sometimes transparent or translucent.

There are many minerals in the sulfate group but most are rare in occurrence. Anhydrate, barite, and gypsum are minerals that are common in this class.

Sulfate Minerals

Barite Barite is a sulfate mineral with a chemical formula of BaSO₄, sometimes called heavy spar. Its chemical name is barium sulfate.	Gypsum Selenite is a very common chemical sedimentary mineral. Its chemical formula is Calcium Sulfate dihydrate CaSO₄2H₂0. It is a form of gypsum.	Celestite Celestite is made up of strontium sulfate. The chemical formula is SrSO₄. Its name comes from Latin, caelestis meaning celestial.

Back to The Gallery of Minerals

Rock and Mineral Collections

Fossil and Geologic Time Book Sets

Fossil Collections

Share this page:

What’s this?

Facebook Twitter

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

Click on the HTML link code below.
Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.