Impsonite is a black,

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...

aceous substance, with a

specific gravity Relative density, also called specific gravity, is a dimensionless quantity defined as the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for solids and liquids is nea ...

of 1.10–1.25 and a carbon content of 50–85%. It is described as an

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

pyrobitumen Pyrobitumen is a type of solid, amorphous organic matter. Pyrobitumen is mostly insoluble in carbon disulfide and other organic solvents as a result of Cross-link, molecular cross-linking, which renders previously soluble organic matter (i.e., bi ...

. It is believed to be derived from a fluid

bitumen Bitumen ( , ) is an immensely viscosity, viscous constituent of petroleum. Depending on its exact composition, it can be a sticky, black liquid or an apparently solid mass that behaves as a liquid over very large time scales. In American Engl ...

which polymerized after filling a

vein Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and feta ...

. The term was coined by George Homans Eldridge in 1901, referring to the asphaltic material in the Impson Valley in southeastern Oklahoma, later known as the Jumbo mine. The asphaltic material in the Impson Valley was later reclassified as

grahamite Grahamite, also known as Pyrobitumen or Anthraxolite, is a bitumen-impregnated rock (asphaltite). It is a naturally occurring solid hydrocarbon bitumen with a relatively high fixed carbon rate of 35–55% and high temperature of fusion. It occurs ...

, based on solubility and chemical similarities with the type grahamite of West Virginia.Impsonite: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
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References

External links

*http://www.mindat.org/min-11115.html *http://repository.icse.utah.edu/dspace/handle/123456789/6990 *http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja01927a003 Bitumen-impregnated rocks {{mineral-stub