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Limestone vs Claystone


Claystone vs Limestone


Definition

Definition
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate  
Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay  

History
  
  

Origin
New Zealand  
-  

Discoverer
Belsazar Hacquet  
Unknown  

Etymology
From lime and stone in late 14th Century  
From English clay and stone as the rock contains more amount of clay  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Clastic or Non-Clastic  
Clastic  

Color
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow  
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow  

Maintenance
More  
More  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Rough and Banded  
Rough and Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium  
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper  
Pottery  

Types

Types
Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa  
Claystone  

Features
Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Present  
Present  

Formation

Formation
Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.  
Claystone is generally quite soft, but can be hard and brittle. It forms due to weathering of mudstone.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt  
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz  

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO  
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion  
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Splintery  
-  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Dull to Pearly  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
115.00 N/mm2  
27
40.00 N/mm2  
40

Cleavage
-  
Perfect  

Toughness
1  
2.6  

Specific Gravity
2.3-2.7  
0  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.3-2.7 g/cm3  
2-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.91 kJ/Kg K  
11
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10

Resistance
Pressure Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam  
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia  

Africa
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe  
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania  

Europe
United Kingdom  
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
Canada, Panama, USA  

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula  
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia  

Definition >>
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Limestone vs Claystone 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 Limestone and Claystone Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay. 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 Limestone vs Claystone information and Limestone vs Claystone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Limestone vs Claystone 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. Limestone vs Claystone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Claystone. Learn more about Limestone vs Claystone in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Claystone include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Claystone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Limestone in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium and that of Claystone include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Limestone and Claystone

Here you can know more about Limestone and Claystone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Claystone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Claystone includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Claystone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors whereas, Claystone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Claystone is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Claystone. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Claystone is 3.5-4. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Claystone are Claystone. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone and Claystone is white. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Claystone 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.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Claystone is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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