Dolomite

Shale

Dolomite vs Shale

Dolomite

Shale

Add ⊕

1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Southern Alps, France

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Dolomieu

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock

From German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Earthy

Clastic, Splintery

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Glassy or Pearly

Muddy

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Not Yet Used

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Creating Artwork, Pottery

4 Types

4.1 Types

Boninite and Jasperoid

Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

Jantar Mantar in India

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Present

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.

Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

5.2.2 Compound Content

NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Not Applicable

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Not Applicable

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3.5-43

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous and Pearly

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm²95.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Perfect

Slaty

6.1.9 Toughness

2.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.8-32.2-2.8

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

7.1.2 Africa

Morocco, Namibia

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland

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

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Mexico, USA

USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil, Colombia

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula

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

Dolomite vs Shale 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 Dolomite and Shale Reserves. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. 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 Dolomite vs Shale information and Dolomite vs Shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks » More

Dolomite vs Travertine

Dolomite vs Marl

Dolomite vs Flint

» More

More Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Dolomite vs Shale 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. Dolomite vs Shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dolomite and Properties of Shale. Learn more about Dolomite vs Shale in the next section. The interior uses of Dolomite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Dolomite and Shale, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dolomite in construction industry include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock and that of Shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Dolomite and Shale

Here you can know more about Dolomite and Shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dolomite and Shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides and mineral content of Shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Dolomite vs Shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dolomite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas, Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dolomite vs Shale. The hardness of Dolomite is 3.5-4 and that of Shale is 3. The types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid whereas types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Dolomite and Shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Dolomite is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.