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Limestone
Limestone

Coal
Coal



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Limestone vs Coal

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Definition

Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds

History

Origin

New Zealand
USA

Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet
John Peter Salley

Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic
Amorphous, Glassy

Color

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

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Rough and Banded
Veined or Pebbled

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
-

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

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
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production

Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts

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
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry

Types

Types

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel

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
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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.
Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment which is buried by sediments such as mud or sand and then compacted to form coal.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt
Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
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Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
-

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-41-1.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery
Conchoidal

Streak

White
Black

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm2-
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

-
-

Toughness

1
-

Specific Gravity

2.3-2.71.1-1.4
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm31100-1400 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K1.32 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

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

Europe

United Kingdom
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Colombia
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Limestone vs Coal 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 Coal Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. 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 Coal information and Limestone vs Coal characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Limestone vs Coal 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 Coal characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Limestone and Properties of Coal. Learn more about Limestone vs Coal in the next section. The interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Coal include . Due to some exceptional properties of Limestone and Coal, 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 Coal include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production.

More about Limestone and Coal

Here you can know more about Limestone and Coal. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Coal consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt and mineral content of Coal includes Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Limestone vs Coal, 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, Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Coal is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Coal. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Coal is 1-1.5. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa whereas types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Limestone is white while that of Coal is black. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 kJ/Kg K and that of Coal is 1.32 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 Coal is heat resistant.