Conglomerate

Argillite

Conglomerate and Argillite

Conglomerate

Argillite

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Definition

Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock which forms from rounded gravel and boulder sized clasts which are cemented together in a matrix

Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate

History

Origin

Italy

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From Latin conglomeratus, to roll together, i.e. from com together + glomerare to gather into a ball, from glomus (genitive glomeris) a ball

From Latin Argilla (clay) and -ite in English which became agrilla+ -ite = Argillite

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic

Clastic, Polished

Color

Beige, Black, Brown, Buff, Light to Dark Grey, Orange, Rust, White, Yellow

Dark Grey to Black, Pink, Red, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Shiny and Rounded

Rough and Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Roof Tiles

As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, In aquifers, Tombstones

Fire resistant, Used to manufracture paperweights and bookends

Types

Orthoconglomerate and Paraconglomerate

Metamorphic rock

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable

Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Formation

Conglomerate forms where sediments consisting mainly of pebble and cobble-size clasts at least two millimeters in diameter starts accumulating.

An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock mainly composed of clay particles which forms from lithified muds which contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles.

Composition

Mineral Content

Clay, Sand, Silica, Silt

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz

Compound Content

NaCl, CaO

Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-32-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Conchoidal to Uneven

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

70.00 N/mm²-

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.882.56-2.68

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

1.7-2.3 g/cm³2.54-2.66 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.87 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

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

All about Conglomerate and Argillite Properties

Know all about Conglomerate and Argillite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Conglomerate and Argillite belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Conglomerate is Clastic whereas that of Argillite is Clastic, Polished. Conglomerate appears Shiny and Rounded and Argillite appears Rough and Dull. The luster of Conglomerate is dull while that of Argillite is waxy and dull. Conglomerate is available in beige, black, brown, buff, light to dark grey, orange, rust, white, yellow colors whereas Argillite is available in dark grey to black, pink, red, white colors. The commercial uses of Conglomerate are cemetery markers, in aquifers, tombstones and that of Argillite are fire resistant, used to manufracture paperweights and bookends.