Barium | Minerals Education Coalition
Barium (Ba) is obtained chiefly from the mineral barite. Barium is a soft, silvery, reactive metal. Because barium is so dense it is commonly used in some alloys, for example in spark plugs and ball bearings. As of 2013, China, India and Morocco were the world''s largest producers of barium. In the, barite is mined primarily in Nevada and ...