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Coal
Coal

Banded iron formation
Banded iron formation



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Banded iron formation

Coal vs Banded iron formation

Definition

Definition

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age

History

Origin

USA
Western Australia, Minnesota

Discoverer

John Peter Salley
Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Etymology

From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From its formation process

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Amorphous, Glassy
Banded, Trellis

Color

Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Red, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

-
Paving Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

Types

Types

Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite

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.
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.

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
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
Chemical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

-
Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1-1.55.5-6
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

Black
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Earthy

Compressive Strength

-220.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
1.5

Specific Gravity

1.1-1.45.0-5.3
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

1100-1400 g/cm3-9999 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.32 kJ/Kg K3.20 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Africa

Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
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, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Others

-
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Bolivia, Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Coal vs Banded iron formation 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 Banded iron formation Reserves. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age. 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 Banded iron formation information and Coal vs Banded iron formation characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Coal vs Banded iron formation 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 Banded iron formation characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Banded iron formation. Learn more about Coal vs Banded iron formation in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include whereas the interior uses of Banded iron formation include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Banded iron formation, 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 Banded iron formation include As dimension stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Coal and Banded iron formation

Here you can know more about Coal and Banded iron formation. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Banded iron formation 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 Banded iron formation includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Banded iron formation, 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, Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Banded iron formation is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Banded iron formation. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Banded iron formation is 5.5-6. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Banded iron formation are Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite. 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 Banded iron formation is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Banded iron formation is 3.20 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 Banded iron formation is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.