Graphite mining in Sri Lanka Wikipedia
Graphite mining in Sri Lanka. Graphite mining in Sri Lanka has been underway since the mid 1800s, with the discovery of vein graphite (called plumbago). The mining reached its peak during the early twentieth century, between the World War I and World War II, when 35,000 metric tons of natural graphite was exported per year and over 6000 shallow workings, pits and small scale mines were in operation.