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Coal
Coal

Chert
Chert



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Coal vs Chert

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Definition

Definition

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture

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 flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard 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
Banded, Rough

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Veined or Pebbled
Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

-
Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

Types

Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

Features

Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

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.
Chert forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The chert formation can be either of chemical or biological origin.

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
Quartz, Silicon

Compound Content

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

-
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

-
Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1-1.56.5-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

Black
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

-450.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

-
1.5

Specific Gravity

1.1-1.42.5-2.8
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

1100-1400 g/cm32.7 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

1.32 kJ/Kg K0.74 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, Japan, 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 Chert 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 Chert Reserves. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. 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 Chert information and Coal vs Chert characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Coal vs Chert 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 Chert characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Chert. Learn more about Coal vs Chert in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include whereas the interior uses of Chert include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Chert, 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 Chert include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Coal and Chert

Here you can know more about Coal and Chert. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Chert 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 Chert includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Chert, 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, Chert is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Chert is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Chert. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Chert is 6.5-7. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter. 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 Chert is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Chert is 0.74 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 Chert is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.