Definition
Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay
Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From English clay and stone as the rock contains more amount of clay
From old English cealc chalk, lime, plaster; pebble, from Greek khalix small pebble, in English transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic
Clastic or Non-Clastic
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow
Grey, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Rough and Dull
Soft
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Facing Stone, Roof Tiles
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Powder
Construction Industry
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Pottery
Alumina Refineries, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Paper Industry, Production of Lime, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Whiting, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Formation
Claystone is generally quite soft, but can be hard and brittle. It forms due to weathering of mudstone.
Chalk is formed from lime mud, which accumulates on the sea floor which is then transformed into rock by geological processes.
Mineral Content
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Ca, NaCl, CaO
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Not Available
Not Available
Porosity
Very Less Porous
Highly Porous
Cleavage
Perfect
Non-Existent
Specific Gravity
0
2.3-2.4
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2-2.9 g/cm3
2.49-2.50 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Panama, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
Claystone vs Chalk Characteristics
Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Claystone vs Chalk characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Claystone and Properties of Chalk. Learn more about Claystone vs Chalk in the next section. The interior uses of Claystone include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Chalk include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Claystone and Chalk, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Claystone in construction industry include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Chalk include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium.
More about Claystone and Chalk
Here you can know more about Claystone and Chalk. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Claystone and Chalk consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Claystone includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz and mineral content of Chalk includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Claystone vs Chalk, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Claystone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Chalk is available in grey, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Claystone is Rough and Dull and that of Chalk is Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Claystone vs Chalk. The hardness of Claystone is 3.5-4 and that of Chalk is 1. The types of Claystone are Not Available whereas types of Chalk are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Claystone and Chalk is white. The specific heat capacity of Claystone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Chalk is 0.90 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Claystone is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Chalk is heat resistant.