Carbonite

Between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago, a river there flowed into a body of water the size of Lake Tahoe, depositing sediments packed with carbonite minerals and clay.

He was pleased with bellite, he found that carbonite made more fumes than bellite, but the explosive he liked best was ammonite.

Although this proved safe in the usual pit gas mixtures, yet it was found impossible to manipulate it, so another explosive, carbonite, made by the same firm, was tried. This was safe in small charges only ; improvements were made, and in September 1887 a carbonite consisting of saltpetre, cellulose, nitro-glycerine, and sulphuretted oil was found to be absolutely safe.

Even these explosives are, however, dangerous if the charges are large (above 300 grams for roburite and westphalite, and above 1000 grams for the carbonites), since then a momentary pressure on the air is developed (especially if the velocity of explosion is high) and a decided rise of temperature.

In some Scottish localities, in the neighbourhood of trap dykes, coal is found to have been changed to coke ("carbonite"). Similar effects have been noticed (1882) in Midlothian, Chesterfield Co., Va., where the carbonite seam is 15 feet thick.