Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Unknown
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From Latin Argilla (clay) and -ite in English which became agrilla+ -ite = Argillite
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Clastic, Polished
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Dark Grey to Black, Pink, Red, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing, Whetstones
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Fire resistant, Used to manufracture paperweights and bookends
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Metamorphic rock
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment which is buried by sediments such as mud or sand and then compacted to form coal.
An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock mainly composed of clay particles which forms from lithified muds which contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles.
Mineral Content
Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal to Uneven
Streak
Black
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Waxy and Dull
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.56-2.68
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
2.54-2.66 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
All about Coal and Argillite Properties
Know all about Coal and Argillite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coal and Argillite belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Argillite is Clastic, Polished. Coal appears Veined or Pebbled and Argillite appears Rough and Dull. The luster of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Argillite is waxy and dull. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Argillite is available in dark grey to black, pink, red, white colors. The commercial uses of Coal are alumina refineries, electricity generation, liquid fuel, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, paper industry and that of Argillite are fire resistant, used to manufracture paperweights and bookends.