Graphite in the Upper Midwest
What is Graphite?Graphite is a dark gray to black, soft, shiny metallic mineral with a distinctive greasy feeling. One of the Earth's softest minerals, Graphite will easily leave marks on paper, which is why it is used for fine artist pencils. Even modern pencil 'lead' is composed of Graphite mixed with clay. Paradoxically, even though Graphite is soft enough for drawing and as a lubricant, it is also strong enough to be used in refining furnaces, brake linings and to create expensive lightweigh