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.
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
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Rough, Sandy
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Dull and Banded
Interior Uses
-
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
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
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.
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
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
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
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
-9999 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
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
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
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.