Home
Compare Rocks


Coal vs Phonolite


Phonolite vs Coal


Definition

Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds   
Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive igneous rock volcanic rock of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Unknown   

Discoverer
John Peter Salley   
Unknown   

Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century   
From the Greek meaning sounding stone because of the metallic sound it produces if an unfractured plate is hit   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous 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

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy   
Granular   

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey   
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled   
Banded and Foilated   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used   
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes   

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

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   

Other Uses
  
  

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

Types

Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite   
Kenyte   

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   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

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.   
Phonolite are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.   

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   
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   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Contact Metamorphism   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal to Uneven   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   
Greasy to Dull   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
150.00 N/mm2   
14

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   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K   
4
Not Available   

Resistance
Heat Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam   
Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam   

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania   
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom   
Andorra, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela   
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
<< All

Coal vs Phonolite 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 Phonolite Reserves. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive igneous rock volcanic rock of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic. 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 Phonolite information and Coal vs Phonolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Coal vs Phonolite 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 Phonolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Phonolite. Learn more about Coal vs Phonolite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Phonolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Phonolite, 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 Phonolite 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 Phonolite

Here you can know more about Coal and Phonolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Phonolite 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 Phonolite 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 Phonolite, 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, Phonolite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Phonolite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Phonolite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Phonolite is 5.5-6. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Phonolite are Kenyte. 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 Phonolite is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Phonolite 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 Phonolite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks