Limestone

Shale

Limestone vs Shale

Limestone

Shale

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate

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

New Zealand

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Belsazar Hacquet

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From lime and stone in late 14th Century

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

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic or Non-Clastic

Clastic, Splintery

2.2 Color

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

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

2.3 Maintenance

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

Rough and Banded

Muddy

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

3.2 Industry

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

3.2.2 Medical Industry

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 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

Creating Artwork, Pottery

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

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

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, 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

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

Jantar Mantar in India

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

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

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.

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

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt

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

5.2.2 Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3-43

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Very fine-grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Splintery

Not Available

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull to Pearly

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²95.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Non-Existent

Slaty

6.1.9 Toughness

2.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.3-2.72.2-2.8

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.3-2.7 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.91 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

7.1.2 Africa

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

7.1.3 Europe

United Kingdom

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

USA

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

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

Limestone 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 Limestone and Shale Reserves. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. 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 Limestone vs Shale information and Limestone vs Shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Limestone and Shale

Here you can know more about Limestone and Shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Limestone and Shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt 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 Limestone vs Shale, 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, Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Limestone is Rough and Banded and that of Shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Limestone vs Shale. The hardness of Limestone is 3-4 and that of Shale is 3. The types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa 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 Limestone and Shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Limestone is 0.91 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.Limestone is pressure resistant whereas Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.