Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
Tephrite is an aphanitic to porphyritic textured, volcanic igneous rock
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Van Tooren
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
From Greek tephra, ashes from Indo-European base, to burn
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Aphanitic to Porphyritic
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Vesicular
Interior Uses
-
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
-
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Landscaping
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Igneous rock
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.
Tephrite 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
Alkali feldspar, Nepheline, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
-
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
-
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
Black
Bluish Black
Porosity
Less Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Subvitreous to Dull
Cleavage
-
Crenulation and Pervasive
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
-
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Namibia, Uganda
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria
New Zealand, Western Australia
Coal vs Tephrite 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 Tephrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Tephrite. Learn more about Coal vs Tephrite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include whereas the interior uses of Tephrite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Tephrite, 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 Tephrite include Landscaping.
More about Coal and Tephrite
Here you can know more about Coal and Tephrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Tephrite 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 Tephrite includes Alkali feldspar, Nepheline, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Tephrite, 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, Tephrite is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Tephrite is Vesicular. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Tephrite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Tephrite is 6.5. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Tephrite are Igneous rock. 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 Tephrite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Tephrite is 0.92 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 Tephrite is heat resistant, impact resistant.