Desert Rose

Desert Rose is an interesting crystal cluster made of Baryte, Gypsum, or Selenite. It forms in a pattern that actually does look like a rose with petals.

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Appearance, Uses and History

‘Desert Rose’ is a colloquial name for shaped gypsum or baryte formations, which are abundant with sand grains. They create distinct ‘petal’ like arrays reminiscent of rose blossoms. In some locations, sand with a high iron oxide content can give the rose a unique rustic red tone.

Smaller ‘roses’ look less like petalled flowers than their larger counterparts. I personally find that they remind me of chocolate truffles.. maybe I’m hungry.

They are sometimes referred to as ‘sand roses’, ‘rose rocks’, ‘selenite roses’, ‘gypsum roses’ or ‘baryte roses’. Clusters of up to a metre tall have been found in Oklahoma USA.

Locales

Desert Roses occur in arid sandy conditions, as an evaporite – its crystals form during the evaporation of water. This does mean the locations in which desert roses can be found are somewhat limited – however, they are still common.

The most common locales for the materials available online are Chihuahua, Mexico and from the Sahara – mostly Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya.

Large specimen pieces can be found in Oklahoma, USA.

They are also found in Morocco, Namibia, Spain, the Atacama in Chile, and possibly other locations – how many deserts can you name?

 

Mineralogy

Chemistry
CaSO4 · 2H2O – Composed of gypsum with grains of silica sand – 50-70% of a desert rose is gypsum.
Colours and Variations
Desert roses can be comprised of different minerals, including gypsum, baryte, selenite and celestine.
Streak
White
Luster
Dull, earthy
Fracture
Earthy and uneven
Transparency
Opaque
Crystal habit
Composed of disclike crystals which grow as a cluster.
Mohs hardness
1-2 depending on composition.
Specific Gravity
Fluorescence
N/A
Easiest testing method
Common Treatments
None.

Hazards and Warnings

Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis.

When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.

Translations

Translations here include desert rose (1), sand rose (2), sahara rose (3), rose rock (4), selenite rose (5), gypsum rose (6) and baryte rose (7).

Arabic:

  1. وردة الصحراء
  2. وردة الرمل
  3. وردة الصحراء
  4. روز روك
  5. ارتفع السيلينيت
  6. ارتفع الجبس
  7. ارتفع الباريت

Hindi:

  • 1. रेगिस्तान का गुलाब
  • 2. रेत गुलाब
  • 3. सहारा गुलाब
  • 4. गुलाब की चट्टान
  • 5. सेलेनाइट गुलाब
  • 6. जिप्सम गुलाब
  • 7. बेराइट गुलाब

Portuguese:

  • 1. Rosa do Deserto
  • 2. Rosa da Areia
  • 3. Rosa do Saara
  • 4. Rocha Rosa
  • 5. Rosa Selenita
  • 6. Rosa de gesso
  • 7. Rosa Barita

Bengali:

  • 1. মরুভূমির গোলাপ
  • 2. বালির গোলাপ
  • 3. সাহারা রোজ
  • 4. পিঙ্ক রক
  • 5. রোজ সেলেনাইট
  • 6. জিপসাম গোলাপ

Indonesian:

  • 1. mawar gurun
  • 2. mawar pasir
  • 3. mawar sahara
  • 4. mawar batu
  • 5. mawar selenite
  • 6. mawar gipsum
  • 7. mawar barit

Punjabi:

  • 1. ਮਾਰੂਥਲ ਦਾ ਗੁਲਾਬ
  • 2. ਰੇਤ ਗੁਲਾਬ
  • 3. ਸਹਾਰਾ ਗੁਲਾਬ
  • 4.
  • 5. ਸੇਲੇਨਾਈਟ ਗੁਲਾਬ
  • 6. ਜਿਪਸਮ ਗੁਲਾਬ
  • 7.

English:

  • 1. desert rose
  • 2. sand rose
  • 3. sahara rose
  • 4. rose rock
  • 5. selenite rose
  • 6. gypsum rose
  • 7. baryte rose

Italian:

  • 1. Rose del deserto
  • 2. Rosa sabbia
  • 3. Rose del Sahara
  • 4.
  • 5. Rose di selenite
  • 6. Rose di gesso
  • 7.

Russian:

  • 1. роза пустыни
  • 2. песчаная роза
  • 3. сахарская роза
  • 4. розовая скала
  • 5. селенитовая роза
  • 6. гипсовая роза
  • 7. баритовая роза

French:

  • 1. rose du désert
  • 2. rose des sables
  • 3. rose du sahara
  • 4. roche rose
  • 5. rose sélénite
  • 6. rose de gypse
  • 7. rose barytée

Japanese:

  • 1.デザートローズ
  • 2.サンドローズ
  • 3.サハラローズ
  • 4.ローズロック
  • 5.セレナイトローズ
  • 6.ジプサムローズ
  • 7.バライトローズ

Spanish:

  • 1. rosa del desierto
  • 2. rosa de arena
  • 3. rosa del sáhara
  • 4. roca rosa
  • 5. rosa selenita
  • 6. rosa de yeso
  • 7. rosa baritina

German:

  • 1. Wüstenrose
  • 2. Sandrose
  • 3. Sahararose
  • 4. Rosenfelsen
  • 5. Selenit stieg
  • 6. Gipsrose
  • 7. Barytrose

Korean:

  • 1. 사막의 장미
  • 2. 샌드 로즈
  • 3. 사하라 장미
  • 4. 장미 바위
  • 5. 셀레나이트 로즈
  • 6. 석고 장미
  • 7. 중정석 장미

Thai:

  • 1. กุหลาบทะเลทราย
  • 2. กุหลาบทราย
  • 3. ซาฮาร่าโรส
  • 4. โรสร็อค
  • 5. กุหลาบซีลีไนต์
  • 6. กุหลาบยิปซั่ม
  • 7. แบไรท์โรส

Gujurati:

Mandarin and Traditional Chinese:

  • 1. 沙漠玫瑰
  • 2. 沙玫瑰
  • 3. 撒哈拉玫瑰
  • 4. 玫瑰岩
  • 5. 亚硒酸盐玫瑰
  • 6. 石膏玫瑰
  • 7. 重晶石玫瑰

Urdu:

  • 1. صحرائی گلاب
  • 2. ریت گلاب
  • 3. سہارا گلاب
  • 4. گلاب کی چٹان
  • 5. سیلینائٹ گلاب
  • 6. جپسم گلاب
  • 7.

Further Reading / External Links

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_rose_(crystal)
  • https://www.geologyin.com/2017/06/how-do-desert-roses-form.html
  • https://www.mindat.org/min-1268.html
  • https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphy.2015.00072/full
  • https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/rosa-del-deserto-desert-rose-1a6cd46155204b518c3bd5ce55c6dc5a
  • https://qspace.qu.edu.qa/bitstream/handle/10576/9660/Mineralogy%20and%20chemistry%20of%20desert%20roses%2C%20ayn%20dar%20area%2C%20abqaiq%2C%20easter%20province%2C%20saudi%20arabia.pdf?sequence=10&isAllowed=y