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Dolomite
Dolomite

Shale
Shale



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Dolomite vs Shale

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Definition

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

History

Origin

Southern Alps, France
-

Discoverer

Dolomieu
Johann Gottlob Lehmann

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,

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Earthy
Clastic, Splintery

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
More

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Glassy or Pearly
Muddy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

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Curbing

Industry

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

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
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Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

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

Types

Types

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

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

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Famous Monuments

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Jantar Mantar in India

Sculpture

-
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Famous Sculptures

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Pictographs

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Petroglyphs

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Figurines

-
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Fossils

Present
Present

Formation

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
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Weathering

Types of Weathering

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Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-43
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
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Streak

White
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous and Pearly
Dull

Compressive Strength

140.00 N/mm295.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
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Cleavage

Perfect
Slaty

Toughness

1
2.6

Specific Gravity

2.8-32.2-2.8
0 8.4
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Transparency

Transparent to Translucent
Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm32.4-2.8 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

Morocco, Namibia
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

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

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Mexico, USA
USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

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.

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, 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.