Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains which are composed of concentric layers of calcite
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
William Smith
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From oo- + -lite, after German Oolit. A rock consisting of fine grains of carbonate of lime
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
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
Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, Red, Silver, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rounded and Rough
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
-
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Landscaping
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Creating Artwork, Jewelry, Used in aquariums
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Pisolitic Oolite and Oncolitic Oolite
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
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.
Oolites form when layers of calcite are deposited around a sand grain or fossil piece and are rolled around in calm water, which makes them round.
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, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
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Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Pearly to Shiny
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
-9999
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
-9999 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Wear 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
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, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula
Coal vs Oolite 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 Oolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Oolite. Learn more about Coal vs Oolite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include whereas the interior uses of Oolite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Oolite, 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 Oolite include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Landscaping.
More about Coal and Oolite
Here you can know more about Coal and Oolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Oolite 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 Oolite 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 Oolite, 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, Oolite is available in black, blue, brown, cream, green, grey, pink, red, silver, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Oolite is Rounded and Rough. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Oolite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Oolite is 3-4. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Oolite are Pisolitic Oolite and Oncolitic Oolite. 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 Oolite is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Oolite is 0.65 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 Oolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.