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Coal and Gossan


Gossan and Coal


Definition

Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds   
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Indonesia   

Discoverer
John Peter Salley   
Cornish Gossen   

Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century   
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy   
Rough, Sandy   

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey   
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Dull and Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone   

Types

Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite   
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan   

Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel   
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates   

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.   
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.   

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   
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon   

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur   
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
No   
No   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5   
4-5   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Fine to Medium Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Black   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Metallic   

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4   
2.0   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
1100-1400 g/cm3   
Not Available   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K   
4
0.24 kJ/Kg K   
24

Resistance
Heat Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam   
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea   

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania   
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa   

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom   
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, USA   

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Coal and Gossan Properties

Know all about Coal and Gossan properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coal belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Gossan belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Gossan is Rough, Sandy. Coal appears Veined or Pebbled and Gossan appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Gossan is metallic. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust 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 Gossan are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, gemstone.

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