Home
Compare Rocks


Granulite and Shale


Shale and Granulite


Definition

Definition
Granulite is fine to medium grained metamorphic rock with a granular of polygonal crystals.  
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles  

History
  
  

Origin
Central Europe  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Johann Gottlob Lehmann  

Etymology
From Latin granulum, a little grain or fine grained  
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
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Granoblastic  
Clastic, Splintery  

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

Maintenance
Less  
More  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled  
Muddy  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads  
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls  
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Soil Conditioner, Tombstones  
Creating Artwork, Pottery  

Types

Types
Metamorphic rock  
Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale  

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch  
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
Jantar Mantar in India  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

Formation
Granulite is a fine-grained granular metamorphic rock in which the main component minerals are feldspars and quartz and forms at high temperature and pressure conditions.  
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
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Quartz  
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides  

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7  
3  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
-  
-  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Very Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Vitreous  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
175.00 N/mm2  
20
95.00 N/mm2  
30

Cleavage
-  
Slaty  

Toughness
-  
2.6  

Specific Gravity
2.8-3.0  
2.2-2.8  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
3.06-3.33 g/cm3  
2.4-2.8 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.14 kJ/Kg K  
33
0.39 kJ/Kg K  
30

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Wear Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia  

Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa  
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania  

Europe
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic  
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA  
USA  

South America
-  
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Granulite and Shale Properties

Know all about Granulite and Shale properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Granulite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Shale belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Granulite is Granoblastic whereas that of Shale is Clastic, Splintery. Granulite appears Veined or Pebbled and Shale appears Muddy. The luster of Granulite is vitreous while that of Shale is dull. Granulite is available in black, brown colors whereas Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Granulite are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, soil conditioner, tombstones and that of Shale are creating artwork, pottery.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

» More Metamorphic Rocks

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks