Graphite

specimen number:
2262259

location:
Sri Lanka

description:
A bright metallic pure mass of graphite. The specimen comes with an old label from Walker's minerals in New York as shown at the end of the video.

The graphite mining industry of Sri Lanka, historically known as Ceylon and centered around world-class vein deposits in districts like Bogala, Kahatagaha, and Kolongaha, is globally celebrated for producing the world's purest crystalline vein or lump graphite. Geologically, these unique deposits are hosted within high-grade, deep-crustal metamorphic rocks of the Precambrian-age Highland Complex, which underwent intense regional deformation and granulite-facies metamorphism during the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent. During this tectonic phase, high-pressure, carbon-rich hydrothermal fluids ascended along major regional fault fissures and fold axes, precipitating massive, interlocking aggregates of coarse needle-like and platy graphite crystals that boast an exceptionally high carbon purity exceeding ninety-nine percent, completely distinct from ordinary flake or amorphous graphite deposits. Historically, indigenous artisanal gathering of surface outcrops occurred for centuries, but large-scale commercial underground mining and quarrying exploded under British colonial rule in the 1820s, with a massive production boom peaking during the world wars when over three thousand pits operated simultaneously across the island to supply global metallurgy and defense industries. Following nationalization of the major mines in the early 1970s, operations were modernized under state control, allowing continuous deep-level underground extraction at the historic Bogala and Kahatagaha shafts to run uninterrupted through various structural reorganizations into the twenty-first century.

Walker's Minerals, located at 799 Lexington Avenue between 61st and 62nd Streets in Manhattan, New York, was a prominent American mineral dealership that served as a major mid-to-late twentieth century hub for Northeastern collectors, museums, and natural history enthusiasts. Established in the mid-1930s by mineralogist and dealer David Walker, the small, densely packed retail shop built a stellar reputation for stocking an incredibly diverse inventory of worldwide mineral specimens, fossils, and lapidary items that catered to every budget level from young novices to advanced connoisseurs. Geologically and geographically, the shop functioned as an important secondary repository and processing center for classic East Coast and global mineral collections, with Walker routinely purchasing, cataloging, and dispersing historic estates that featured premier regional specimens from iconic, long-closed localities across New Jersey, New York, and New England. David Walker managed the classic Lexington Avenue storefront continuously for roughly four decades, providing an accessible urban gathering space for the regional rockhound community until his retirement and the subsequent permanent closure of the physical shop in the mid-1970s.

Questions about this specimen?
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