Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
  
Minette is a variety of Lamprophyre and is porphyritic alkaline igneous rock which is mainly dominated by biotite and potassic feldspar
  
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 French mine ore, mine + ette
  
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Igneous Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Not Applicable
  
Plutonic
  
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
  
Porphyritic
  
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey
  
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, Banded and Foilated
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
  
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, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
  
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
  
Minette, Alnoite, Camptonite, Monchiquite, Fourchite, Vogesite, Appinite and Spessartite
  
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
  
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Data Not Available
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Present
  
Absent
  
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.
  
Minette formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface at around 150 to 450 kms, and are erupted rapidly and violently.
  
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
  
Amphibole, Carbonate, Garnet, Micas, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene
  
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Weathering
No
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
  
Erosion
No
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
1-1.5
  
5-6
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fine to Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
Black
  
White
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Very Less Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Subvitreous to Dull
  
Cleavage
Non-Existent
  
Conchoidal
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
  
2.86-2.87
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Translucent to Opaque
  
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
  
2.95-2.96 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K
  
4
Not Available
  
Resistance
Heat Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
  
Russia
  
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa
  
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
England, Hungary, Iceland, United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Antarctica, Greenland
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
  
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia