Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Bayley
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Plutonic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Granular
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Banded and Foilated
Interior Uses
Not Yet Used
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Creating Artwork
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Borolanite and Litchfieldite
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
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.
Litchfieldite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
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, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal to Uneven
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Greasy to Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Poor
Toughness
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.6
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
2.6 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Not Yet Found
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
South Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Finland, Norway, Portugal
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Not Yet Found
Coal vs Litchfieldite 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 Litchfieldite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Litchfieldite. Learn more about Coal vs Litchfieldite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Litchfieldite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Litchfieldite, 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 Litchfieldite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.
More about Coal and Litchfieldite
Here you can know more about Coal and Litchfieldite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Litchfieldite 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 Litchfieldite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Litchfieldite, 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, Litchfieldite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Litchfieldite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Litchfieldite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Litchfieldite is 5.5-6. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Litchfieldite are Borolanite and Litchfieldite. 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 Litchfieldite is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Litchfieldite is Not Available. 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 Litchfieldite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.