Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Unknown
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Clastic, Splintery
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Muddy
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Creating Artwork, Pottery
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Jantar Mantar in India
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
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.
Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.
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, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Slaty
Toughness
Not Available
2.6
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.2-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
All about Coal and Shale Properties
Know all about Coal and Shale properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Coal and Shale belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Shale is Clastic, Splintery. Coal appears Veined or Pebbled and Shale appears Muddy. The luster of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic while that of Shale is dull. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, 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 Shale are creating artwork, pottery.