Image: <bdi><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56247090" class="extiw" title="d:Q56247090"><span title="mineral collector and dealer">Robert M. Lavinsky</span></a></bdi> (CC BY-SA 3.0)
hexagonalcommonNative Elements
Graphite
C
This image displays a specimen of graphite, characterized by its dark gray to black color and a distinct metallic to submetallic luster, often appearing as flaky or platy aggregates.
Graphite Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
1.5Crystal System
hexagonalLuster
metallicStreak Color
black to dark grayCleavage
perfect basal on {0001}Fracture
unevenSpecific Gravity
2.23Colors
black, dark gray, silvery grayTransparency
opaqueType Locality
Saint-Sauveur Graphite occurrence, Saint-Sauveur, Les Pays-d'en-Haut RCM, Laurentides, Québec, CanadaMineral Group
Native ElementsUses
pencils, lubricants, electrodes, refractories, batteries, nuclear reactorsAssociated Minerals
quartz, feldspar, mica, calcite, pyrite, pyrrhotiteRarity
commonGeological Context
Graphite forms primarily through the metamorphism of carbonaceous sedimentary rocks (like coal or organic-rich shales) under high temperature and pressure conditions, or in igneous rocks and hydrothermal veins.
