×

Coal
Coal

Argillite
Argillite



ADD
Compare
X
Coal
X
Argillite

Coal vs Argillite

Add ⊕

Definition

Definition

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate

History

Origin

USA
-

Discoverer

John Peter Salley
Unknown

Etymology

From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From Latin Argilla (clay) and -ite in English which became agrilla+ -ite = Argillite

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Amorphous, Glassy
Clastic, Polished

Color

Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Dark Grey to Black, Pink, Red, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

-
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Fire resistant, Used to manufracture paperweights and bookends

Types

Types

Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Metamorphic rock

Features

Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Present

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.
An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock mainly composed of clay particles which forms from lithified muds which contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles.

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
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz

Compound Content

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
Biological Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

-
Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1-1.52-3
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal to Uneven

Streak

Black
White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

--
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
Slaty

Toughness

-
2.6

Specific Gravity

1.1-1.42.56-2.68
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

1100-1400 g/cm32.54-2.66 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.32 kJ/Kg K0.87 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

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

-
-

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

Coal vs Argillite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Coal and Argillite Reserves. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Coal vs Argillite information and Coal vs Argillite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Coal vs Argillite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Coal vs Argillite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Argillite. Learn more about Coal vs Argillite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include whereas the interior uses of Argillite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Argillite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Coal in construction industry include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production and that of Argillite include Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Coal and Argillite

Here you can know more about Coal and Argillite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Argillite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Coal includes 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 and mineral content of Argillite includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Argillite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas, Argillite is available in dark grey to black, pink, red, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Argillite is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Argillite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Argillite is 2-3. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Argillite are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Coal is black while that of Argillite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Argillite is 0.87 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Coal is heat resistant whereas Argillite is heat resistant, impact resistant.