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Coal and Felsite


Felsite and Coal


Definition

Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds   
Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Unknown   

Discoverer
John Peter Salley   
Unknown   

Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century   
From English feldspar and -ite   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy   
Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous   

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey   
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration   

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Paving Stone, Garden Decoration   

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production   
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Surgery   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry   
Mirror, Jewelry   

Types

Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite   
Not Available   

Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel   
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

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.   
Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.   

Composition
  
  

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   
Feldspar, Iron Oxides   

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5   
5-5.5   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Very Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Vitreous   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
0.15 N/mm2   
33

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Non-Existent   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4   
2.6-2.7   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent   

Density
1100-1400 g/cm3   
2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K   
4
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam   
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia   

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania   
Kenya   

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom   
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, Mexico, USA   

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria   
New Zealand   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Coal and Felsite Properties

Know all about Coal and Felsite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coal belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Felsite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Felsite is Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous. Coal appears Veined or Pebbled and Felsite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Felsite is vitreous. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow 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 Felsite are mirror, jewelry.

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