A new barite occurrence at El Fawakhir area, Eastern Desert, Egypt

A new barite occurrence in El Fawakhir area of the central Eastern Desert is to be reported for the first time. This barite occurs in the form of veins occupying a shear zone emplaced along the contact aureole between El Fawakhir granite mass and the surrounding metamorphic rocks. The studied barite is well crystalline forming crystal aggregates and is almost pure with minor calcite content. It is proposed that there may be a genetic relationship between barite formation and the enclosing granitoid rocks