What is Shungite? Understanding the 2-billion-year-old black stone from Karelia
Shungite is a carbon-rich rock formed about 2 billion years ago in Karelia, Russia. This article sums up its origin, composition and what to know before you buy.
Shungite is a name more and more natural-stone lovers know. But behind its deep black colour and colourful sales pitches lies a very special geological material — one well worth understanding properly.
A stone from the Precambrian
Shungite is a carbon-rich metamorphic rock from the Palaeoproterozoic era. The related rock layers at the Shunga deposit have been dated to about 1.98 – 2.09 billion years, which means shungite existed long before complex life appeared on Earth.
The name comes from the village of Shunga on the shore of Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia (Russia). The term “shungite” has been used since 1879 for the black rock mined around this area.
Composition: mostly carbon
What made shungite famous is its very high carbon content. In the purest type, carbon can exceed 98%; most shungite on the market has a lower share and contains other minerals such as quartz and mica.
The carbon in shungite is not crystalline like diamond or graphite but amorphous — which is why scientists class shungite as a mineraloid rather than an ordinary crystalline mineral.
Why is shungite found almost only in Karelia?
The large, commercially mined shungite deposits lie mainly around Lake Onega; Zazhoginskoye, mined since the early 1990s, is one of the largest in the world. Similar material has been recorded elsewhere, such as Austria, India, the DR Congo and Kazakhstan, but it is much less common.
Practical uses
- Decor and gifts: pyramids, cubes, spheres and pendants.
- Industry: a black pigment since the mid-18th century, a filler for rubber and plastics, and a material in metallurgy and water filtration.
If you are just getting started, read Elite Shungite vs. Regular Shungite to learn how to choose the right type.
Shungite Collection
Keep reading
View all →In 1992, scientists first recorded natural fullerenes in a shungite sample. What does that discovery mean, and why shouldn't it be overstated?
Elite shungite has a silvery sheen and is rare and brittle; regular shungite is matte black, durable and easy to craft. Understand the difference to choose the right piece for you.
The market has its share of dyed stones and black plastic passed off as shungite. Five simple tests — above all the conductivity test — let you check for yourself.