Barite deposits near Khuzdar, Kalat Division, Pakistan

Important deposits of barite are about 6 miles southwest of Khuzdar in a folded belt of Jurassic limestone and shale. The deposits are lenses distributed along a narrow stratigraphic zone more than 4,600 feet long. Wallrocks have been altered by silicification, leaching, and by the introduction and oxidation of iron. Alteration appears to be partly related to barite deposition, and the deposits are tentatively classified as hydrothermal.

Mime deposits are of economic interest. The largest is 30 to 80 feet thick and 1,200 feet long. Smaller deposits are 270 to 460 feet long and average about 15 feet in thickness. Preliminary estimates indicate that the deposits contain 1,280,000 short tons of barite. Most of the ore can be mined by openpit methods.