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Claystone vs Shale


Shale vs Claystone


Definition

Definition
Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay   
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles   

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From English clay and stone as the rock contains more amount of clay   
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, Medium Hardness Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Clastic, Splintery   

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow   
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow   

Maintenance
More   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Rough and Dull   
Muddy   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

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   
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
Pottery   
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, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained 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
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Present   

Formation

Formation
Claystone is generally quite soft, but can be hard and brittle. It forms due to weathering of mudstone.   
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
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz   
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, 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, Water Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4   
3   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Not Available   
Not Available   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Very Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
95.00 N/mm2   
20

Cleavage
Perfect   
Slaty   

Toughness
2.6   
2.6   

Specific Gravity
0   
2.2-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2-2.9 g/cm3   
2.4-2.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10
0.39 kJ/Kg K   
23

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia   
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia   

Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland   
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Panama, USA   
USA   

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Claystone vs Shale Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Claystone and Shale Reserves. Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Claystone vs Shale information and Claystone vs Shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Claystone vs Shale 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 Shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Claystone and Properties of Shale. Learn more about Claystone vs Shale in the next section. The interior uses of Claystone include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Claystone and Shale, 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 Shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Claystone and Shale

Here you can know more about Claystone and Shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Claystone and Shale 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 Shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Claystone vs Shale, 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, Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Claystone is Rough and Dull and that of Shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Claystone vs Shale. The hardness of Claystone is 3.5-4 and that of Shale is 3. The types of Claystone are Not Available whereas types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Claystone and Shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Claystone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Shale is 0.39 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 Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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