Genesis of Karelian shungite with reference to its distinctive structural features

Structural data on shungite-bearing rocks were used to develop a new model for their nanostructure and the natural processes of their genesis and evol ution. A conclusion was made that the natural solid carbon of shungite is c omposed of carbon black particles in a fossilized tarlike hydrocarbon matri x. Both were produced by the burning of deep-seated methane in oxygen-defic ient environments. The total amount of the burned-out gas was assayed at 10 x 10(9) t. The gas escape was accompanied by hydrotherms with other compou nds, which produced the mineral components of shungite rocks. It is hypothe sized that shungite may be underlain by rocks containing hydrocarbons, whic h were preserved, in a certain form, to the present.