Description

Marcasite - white iron pyrite

Also known as thunderball in Champagne in France

In the past, this stone was thought to be the result of lightning striking the ground, particularly in Champagne, where it is also known as thunderball.

In reality, these naturally rounded balls known as marcasite are sulfide minerals that have long been confused with the closely related pyrite.

These marcasite nodules have been known since the dawn of time, as they were the stones used to produce fire by percussion.

Marcasite is very sensitive to oxidation when opened in 2, and degrades very rapidly, especially in humid environments.

Ref D

Weight: 1.47Kg Approx. diameter: 9cm

Origin: Champagne in France

SOLD ALONE WITHOUT STAND

YOU CAN FIND STANDS FOR SALE ON THE WEBSITE

Extract: In certain chalky regions where pyrite is very abundant, its characteristics, so different from those of the chalk on which it is collected, have led people to regard it as of extraordinary origin. In Champagne, for example, it is thought to be of meteorite origin, and is known as “lightning stone” or “thunder stone”. In many cases, it has even been attributed fantastic properties, precisely because of its supposed celestial origin. - (Stanislas Meunier, Géologie des environs de Paris: ou, Description des terrains et énumération des fossiles qui s'y rencontrent, Paris: Librairie de J.-B. Baillière & fils, 1875)