Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
A hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle is called as serpentinization, a group of minerals is formed by serpentinization compose rock 'serpentinite'.
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Unknown
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From English word serpentinization.
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic 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
Earthy
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Jadeitite
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Host Rock for Lead
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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Serpentinite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
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
Carbonate, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine, Sulfides
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Ca, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, KCl, MgO, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
Black
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Waxy and Dull
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.79-3
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
2.5-3 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Ethiopia, Western Africa
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
England, Georgia, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
Central Australia, New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia
Coal vs Serpentinite 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 Serpentinite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Serpentinite. Learn more about Coal vs Serpentinite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include whereas the interior uses of Serpentinite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Serpentinite, 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 Serpentinite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement.
More about Coal and Serpentinite
Here you can know more about Coal and Serpentinite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Serpentinite 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 Serpentinite includes Carbonate, Magnetite, Pyrrhotite, Serpentine, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Serpentinite, 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, Serpentinite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Serpentinite is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Serpentinite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Serpentinite is 3-5. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Serpentinite are Jadeitite. 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 Serpentinite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Serpentinite is 0.95 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 Serpentinite is heat resistant.