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Graphite

A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
This page kindly sponsored by IHO: Prof. Steve Dunn
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About GraphiteHide

Formula:
C
As a Commodity:
Colour:
Iron black to steel-grey
Lustre:
Sub-Metallic
Hardness:
1 - 2
Specific Gravity:
2.09 - 2.23
Crystal System:
Hexagonal
Name:
Named "plumbago" in 1739 by Magnus von Bromell, but in a different sense than previous authors such as Agricola and Conrad Gesner. Also called "molybdaena", but "molybdaena" was shown to represent two species, molybdenite and graphite - as known today, in 1781 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Named graphite in 1789 by Abraham Gottlob Werner from the Greek "graphein", "to write".
Graphite usually occurs in flakes in metamorphosed rocks rich in carbon, but it can also be found in veins and in pegmatites. Where large deposits are found, it is mined and used as an industrial lubricant and for 'lead' in pencils. The crystallinity depends on the temperature of the formation and the grade of metamorphism.


Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:
1740
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:1740:0
GUID
(UUID V4):
72a67a25-ed75-4843-882c-6accdc24f248

IMA Classification of GraphiteHide

Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)

Classification of GraphiteHide

1.CB.05a

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
C : Metalloids and Nonmetals
B : Carbon-silicon family
Dana 7th ed.:
1.3.5.2
1.3.6.2

1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
3 : Semi-metals and non-metals
1.25

1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Please only use the official IMA–CNMNC symbol. Older variants are listed for historical use only.

SymbolSourceReference
GrIMA–CNMNCWarr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43
GrKretz (1983)Kretz, R. (1983) Symbols of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 68, 277–279.
GrSiivolam & Schmid (2007)Siivolam, J. and Schmid, R. (2007) Recommendations by the IUGS Subcommission on the Systematics of Metamorphic Rocks: List of mineral abbreviations. Web-version 01.02.07. IUGS Commission on the Systematics in Petrology. download
GrWhitney & Evans (2010)Whitney, D.L. and Evans, B.W. (2010) Abbreviations for names of rock-forming minerals. American Mineralogist, 95, 185–187 doi:10.2138/am.2010.3371
GrThe Canadian Mineralogist (2019)The Canadian Mineralogist (2019) The Canadian Mineralogist list of symbols for rock- and ore-forming minerals (December 30, 2019). download
GrWarr (2020)Warr, L.N. (2020) Recommended abbreviations for the names of clay minerals and associated phases. Clay Minerals, 55, 261–264 doi:10.1180/clm.2020.30

Pronunciation of GraphiteHide

Pronunciation:
PlayRecorded byCountry
Jolyon RalphUnited Kingdom

Physical Properties of GraphiteHide

Sub-Metallic
Transparency:
Opaque
Colour:
Iron black to steel-grey
Streak:
Black to steel gray
Hardness:
1 - 2 on Mohs scale
Hardness:
VHN10=7 - 11 kg/mm2 - Vickers
Tenacity:
Flexible
Cleavage:
Perfect
{0001}
Fracture:
Micaceous
Density:
2.09 - 2.23 g/cm3 (Measured)    2.26 g/cm3 (Calculated)

Optical Data of GraphiteHide

Type:
Uniaxial (-)
Anisotropism:
Extreme
Colour in reflected light:
Iron black to steel gray
Pleochroism:
Strong
Comments:
Deep blue in transmitted light.

Chemistry of GraphiteHide

Mindat Formula:
C
CAS Registry number:
7782-42-5

CAS Registry numbers are published by the American Chemical Society

Crystallography of GraphiteHide

Polytype:
Formula:
Crystal System:
Class (H-M)
Space Group:
Space Group Setting:
Cell Parameters:
Ratio:
Unit Cell Volume (calc):
Z:
Graphite-2HGraphite-3R
CC
Hexagonal Trigonal 
6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) - Dihexagonal Dipyramidal3m (3 2/m) - Hexagonal Scalenohedral
P63/mmc R3m
  
a = 2.463 Å, c = 6.714 Å
a = 2.456 Å, c = 10.044 Å
a:c = 1 : 2.726a:c = 1 : 4.09
V 35.27 ų
(Calculated from Unit Cell)
V 52.47 ų
(Calculated from Unit Cell)
46

Crystallographic forms of GraphiteHide

Crystal Atlas:
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Graphite - Dipyramidal {101}
Graphite - Tabular {001}
3d models and HTML5 code kindly provided by www.smorf.nl.

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Crystal StructureHide

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IDSpeciesReferenceLinkYearLocalityPressure (GPa)Temp (K)
0000049GraphiteKukesh J S, Pauling L (1950) The problem of the graphite structure American Mineralogist 35 125-12519500293
0011247GraphiteWyckoff R W G (1963) Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York Crystal Structures 1 7-8319630293
0013978GraphiteFayos J (1999) Possible 3D carbon structures as progressive intermediates in graphite to diamond phase transition Journal of Solid State Chemistry 148 278-28519990293
0013979GraphiteFayos J (1999) Possible 3D carbon structures as progressive intermediates in graphite to diamond phase transition Journal of Solid State Chemistry 148 278-28519990293
0013980GraphiteFayos J (1999) Possible 3D carbon structures as progressive intermediates in graphite to diamond phase transition Journal of Solid State Chemistry 148 278-28519990293
0013981GraphiteFayos J (1999) Possible 3D carbon structures as progressive intermediates in graphite to diamond phase transition Journal of Solid State Chemistry 148 278-28519990293
0013982GraphiteFayos J (1999) Possible 3D carbon structures as progressive intermediates in graphite to diamond phase transition Journal of Solid State Chemistry 148 278-28519990293
0014675GraphiteTrucano P, Chen R (1975) Structure of graphite by neutron diffraction Nature 258 136-1371975undefined0293
0018217GraphiteNixon D, Parry G, Ubbelohde A (1966) Order-disorder transformations in graphite nitrates _cod_database_code 1100002 Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 291 324-33919660293
0015334GraphiteLipson H, Stokes A R (1942) The structure of graphite Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A181 101-1051942Ceylon, Bavaria0293
0017960GraphiteHassel O (1924) Ueber die Kristallstruktur des Graphits. _cod_database_code 1011060 Zeitschrift fur Physik 25 317-33719240293
CIF Raw Data - click here to close

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacingIntensity
3.354 Å(100)
2.131 Å(3)
2.031 Å(14)
1.800 Å(3)
1.677 Å(5)
1.543 Å(4)
1.231 Å(3)
1.155 Å(5)
Comments:
Calculated from the crystal structure.

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):
Paragenetic ModeEarliest Age (Ga)
Pre-terrestrial "Ur-minerals">4.57
1 : Stellar atmosphere condensates
Stage 1: Primary nebular phases4.567-4.561
4 : Primary chondrule phases4.566–4.561
Stage 2: Planetesimal differentiation and alteration4.566-4.550
5 : Primary asteroid phases4.566–4.560
6 : Secondary asteroid phases4.566-4.560
Stage 3a: Earth’s earliest Hadean crust>4.50
7 : Ultramafic igneous rocks
Stage 4a: Earth’s earliest continental crust>4.4-3.0
19 : Granitic intrusive rocks
Near-surface Processes
29 : Lightning-generated minerals
High-𝑇 alteration and/or metamorphism
33 : Minerals deposited by hydrothermal metal-rich fluids (see also [#12])
Stage 4b: Highly evolved igneous rocks>3.0
34 : Complex granite pegmatites
Stage 5: Initiation of plate tectonics<3.5-2.5
38 : Ophiolites
40 : Regional metamorphism (greenschist, amphibolite, granulite facies)
Stage 10a: Neoproterozoic oxygenation/terrestrial biosphere<0.6
50 : Coal and/or oil shale minerals<0.36
Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals<10 Ka
54 : Coal and other mine fire minerals (see also #51 and #56)

Synonyms of GraphiteHide

Other Language Names for GraphiteHide

Basque:Grafito
Belarusian:Графіт
Bosnian:Grafit
Bulgarian:Графит
Catalan:Grafit
Croatian:Grafit
Czech:Grafit
Danish:Grafit
Dutch:Grafiet
Esperanto:Grafito
Estonian:Grafiit
Farsi/Persian:گرافیت
Finnish:Grafiitti
Galician:Grafito
Hebrew:גרפיט
Hungarian:Grafit
Icelandic:Grafít
Indonesian:Grafit
Irish Gaelic:Graifít
Italian:Grafite
Korean:흑연
Latin:Graphitum
Latvian:Grafīts
Lithuanian:Grafitas
Lojban:Pistabno
Lombard:Grafiit
Norwegian:Grafitt
Polish:Grafit
Portuguese:Grafite
Russian:Графит
Serbian:Графит
Simplified Chinese:石墨
Slovak:Grafit
Slovenian:Grafit
Swedish:Grafit
Turkish:Grafit
Ukrainian:Графіт
Vietnamese:Than chì

Varieties of GraphiteHide

Amorphous graphiteVery fine-grained, generally sooty graphite from metamorphosed coalbeds. The word amorphous is a misnomer because all graphite is crystalline.

The term has also been applied to very fine particles of flake graphite that can be sold only for low-value us...
CliftoniteCliftonite is an octahedral graphite pseudomorph after kamacite, or rather the spaces left between kamacite domains. Found in a few iron meteorites. Originally considered as a new allotrope of carbon, later considered to be a pseudomorph of graphite after...
Uranium-bearing GraphiteA uranium-bearing variety of graphite.

Common AssociatesHide

Associated Minerals Based on Photo Data:
303 photos of Graphite associated with CalciteCaCO3
107 photos of Graphite associated with PyriteFeS2
100 photos of Graphite associated with DiopsideCaMgSi2O6
99 photos of Graphite associated with QuartzSiO2
76 photos of Graphite associated with Tanzanite
74 photos of Graphite associated with PrehniteCa2Al2Si3O10(OH)2
68 photos of Graphite associated with NorbergiteMg3(SiO4)F2
43 photos of Graphite associated with TsavoriteCa3Al2(SiO4)3
37 photos of Graphite associated with SpinelMgAl2O4
34 photos of Graphite associated with PyrrhotiteFe1-xS

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

1.CB.TartarositeCIso. 2 3 : I21 3
1.CB.05bChaoiteCHex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P6/mmm
1.CB.05cFulleriteC60Tet.
1.CB.10aDiamondCIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m
1.CB.10bLonsdaleiteCHex. 6/mmm (6/m 2/m 2/m) : P63/mmc
1.CB.15SiliconSiIso. m3m (4/m 3 2/m) : Fd3m

Other InformationHide

Notes:
Greasy feel
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

Graphite in petrologyHide

Internet Links for GraphiteHide

References for GraphiteHide

Reference List:

Localities for GraphiteHide

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

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Mineral and/or Locality  
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