Home
Compare Rocks


Arkose and Shale


Shale and Arkose


Definition

Definition
Arkose is a sedimentary rock, specifically a type of sandstone containing at least 25% feldspar   
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles   

History
  
  

Origin
France   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Alexandre Brongniart   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Auvergne region of France used by a French geologist Alexandre Brongniart in 1826 who applied this term to some feldspathic sandstones   
From German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Clastic, Splintery   

Color
Reddish Brown   
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
Yes   
No   

Appearance
Rough and Dull   
Muddy   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
Paving Stone, Office Buildings   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Whetstones   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Sculpture   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
In aquifers, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones   
Creating Artwork, Pottery   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Jantar Mantar in India   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Arkose rock forms from the weathering of feldspar-rich igneous or metamorphic rock, most commonly granitic rocks, which are primarily composed of quartz and feldspar.   
Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz   
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide   
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
3   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Not Available   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
95.00 N/mm2   
20

Cleavage
Not Available   
Slaty   

Toughness
Not Available   
2.6   

Specific Gravity
0   
2.2-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
Not Available   
2.4-2.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.39 kJ/Kg K   
23

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
USA   

South America
Brazil   
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand   
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Arkose and Shale Properties

Know all about Arkose and Shale properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Arkose and Shale belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Arkose is Clastic whereas that of Shale is Clastic, Splintery. Arkose appears Rough and Dull and Shale appears Muddy. The luster of Arkose and Shale is dull. Arkose is available in reddish brown colors whereas Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Arkose are in aquifers, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones and that of Shale are creating artwork, pottery.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks