Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
  
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate
  
History
  
  
Origin
USA
  
New Zealand
  
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
  
Belsazar Hacquet
  
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
  
From lime and stone in late 14th Century
  
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Family
  
  
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 or Non-Clastic
  
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow
  
Maintenance
Less
  
More
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
No
  
Scratch Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
Yes
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
No
  
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
  
Rough and Banded
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
  
Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
  
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
  
Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
  
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
  
Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa
  
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
  
Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
  
Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Present
  
Present
  
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.
  
Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.
  
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
  
Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt
  
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Not Applicable
  
Weathering
No
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
No
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
1-1.5
  
3-4
  
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fine Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Splintery
  
Streak
Black
  
White
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Dull to Pearly
  
Compressive Strength
Not Available
  
115.00 N/mm
2
  
18
Cleavage
Non-Existent
  
Non-Existent
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
1
  
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
  
2.3-2.7
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
  
2.3-2.7 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K
  
4
0.91 kJ/Kg K
  
11
Resistance
Heat Resistant
  
Pressure Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
  
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
  
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
USA
  
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Colombia
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
  
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
  
Coal vs Limestone 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 Limestone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Limestone. Learn more about Coal vs Limestone in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Limestone, 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 Limestone include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium.
More about Coal and Limestone
Here you can know more about Coal and Limestone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Limestone 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 Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Limestone, 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, Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Limestone is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Limestone. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Limestone is 3-4. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa. 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 Limestone is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Limestone is 0.91 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 Limestone is pressure resistant.