Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Metapelite is an old and currently not widely used field geological term for a clay rich fine-grained clastic sediment or sedimentary rock, i.e. mud or a mudstone
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Unknown
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From Pelos or clay in Greek
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
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Foliated
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Green, Light Greenish Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Banded
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
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
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Metamorphic rock
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Easily splits into thin plates, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest 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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Metapelite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
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
Albite, Chlorite, Quartz
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Fibrous
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Earthy
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
3.4-3.7
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
0-300 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
-
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Western Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
-
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Central Australia, Western Australia
All about Coal and Metapelite Properties
Know all about Coal and Metapelite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coal belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Metapelite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Metapelite is Foliated. Coal appears Veined or Pebbled and Metapelite appears Banded. The luster of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Metapelite is earthy. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Metapelite is available in dark greenish - grey, green, light green, light greenish grey 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 Metapelite are commemorative tablets, creating artwork.