Shungite 100% Genuine large
shungite with a CERTIFICATE from the mine.
Name: Shungite
Species: Natural
Occurrence:
Shungite
is either a diverse group of metamorphosed Precambrian rocks all of which
contain pyrobitumen, or the pyrobitumen within those rocks. It was first
described from a deposit near Shunga village, in Karelia, Russia, from where it
gets its name.
Shungite has mainly been found
in Russia. The main deposit is in the Lake Onega area of Karelia, at Zazhoginskoye, near Shunga, with another occurrence at Vozhmozero. Two
other much smaller occurrences have been reported in Russia, one in Kamchatka in volcanic rocks and the other formed by the burning of spoil from a
coal mine at high temperature in Chelyabinsk. Other occurrences have been described from
Austria, India, Democratic Republic of Congo and Kazakhstan.
Terminology:
The
term "shungite" has evolved
substantially since was originally used in 1879 to describe a black substance
with more than 98% carbon found in veins near its type locality of Shunga. More
recently the term has also been used to describe a wide variety of rocks
containing similar carbon layers, leading to some confusion. In scientific
usage, shungite refers to a mineraloid which contains >98% carbon, and is
used as a modifier to the host-rock's name, i.e. "shungite-bearing
dolostone". In popular usage, shungite-bearing rocks are sometimes
themselves referred to as shungite. Shungite is subdivided into bright, semi-bright, semi-dull and dull on
the basis of its lustre.
Shungite has two main modes of
occurrence, disseminated within the host rock and as apparently mobilised
material. Migrated shungite, which is bright (lustrous) shungite, has been
interpreted to represent migrated hydrocarbons and is found as either layer
shungite, layers or lenses near conformable with the host rock layering, or
vein shungite, which is found as cross-cutting veins. Shungite may also occur as clasts
within younger sedimentary rocks.
Uses:
Shungite has been used since the
middle of the 18th century as a pigment for paint, and is currently sold under
the names "carbon black" or "shungite natural black". In
the 1970s, shungite was exploited in the production of an insulating material,
known as shungisite. Shungisite is prepared by heating
rocks with low shungite concentrations to 1,090–1,130 °C (1,990–2,070 °F) and
is used as a low density filler. Shungite has applications in construction technologies. The presence
of fullerenes has resulted in shungite being of interest to researchers as a
natural reservoir.
Shungite has been used as a folk
medical treatment since the early 18th century. Peter the Great set up Russia's
first spa in Karelia to make use of the purported water purifying properties of
shungite. He also instigated its use in providing purified water for the
Russian army.