Shungite
Two-billion-year-old carbon rock from Karelia, containing natural fullerenes.
- Family
- Carbon
- Formula
- C (up to 98%)
- Mohs
- 3.5 to 4
- System
- Amorphous
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Science
Shungite is a non-crystalline carbon rock, essentially metamorphosed oil deposits from Precambrian seas, about two billion years old. It conducts electricity. In 1992 fullerenes, carbon molecules shaped like footballs, were detected in it, the first found in nature.
- Mineral
- Carbon
- Formula
- C (up to 98%)
- Crystal system
- Amorphous
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5 to 4
- Specific gravity
- 1.90 to 2.00
- Refractive index
- Opaque
- Lustre
- Semi-metallic to dull
- Colours
- Black
Composition
C (up to 98%). Made of Carbon, with trace Silicon, Iron, Sulfur responsible for colour.
Origin
- RussiaShunga, Lake Onega, Karelia
Filled dots are primary sources
Rarity
One region on Earth. Ordinary shungite is plentiful; 'elite' or noble shungite with a silver lustre is a small fraction of the deposit.
- 1 Abundant
- 2 Common
- 3 Uncommon
- 4 Rare
- 5 Exceptional
Hardness
Shungite sits at 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale. A steel knife will scratch it; it suits pendants and display more than rings.
Energy
Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.
Chakras
- Root
Element
- Earth
Zodiac
- Scorpio
- Capricorn
Planets
- Saturn
Properties
- Purification
- EMF shielding
- Grounding
- Detox
Lore
Peter the Great founded Russia's first spa, the Martial Waters, in 1719 on springs that pass through shungite, and had his soldiers purify water with it. Village wells in Karelia are still lined with it.
Its modern reputation as a shield against electromagnetic fields rests on its conductivity; the claim outruns the evidence.
- FullerenesFirst natural occurrence of C₆₀ reported in 1992.
- ConductiveA multimeter across a piece reads near zero ohms; a quick test against fakes.