Mudstone

Shale

Mudstone vs Shale

Mudstone

Shale

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Definition

Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles

History

Origin

Discoverer

William Smith

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Etymology

From the English mud and stone, from low German mudde and stainaz

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

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic

Clastic, Splintery

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough and Dull

Muddy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Roof Tiles

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Types

Marl, Shale and Argillite

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

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock

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

Present

Formation

Mudstone forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are buried and compacted by overlying sediment hence forming mudstone.

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

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz

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

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-33

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

25.00 N/mm²95.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.2-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

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

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Mudstone 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 Mudstone and Shale Reserves. Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations. 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 Mudstone vs Shale information and Mudstone vs Shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Mudstone and Shale

Here you can know more about Mudstone and Shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Mudstone and Shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Mudstone includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz 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 Mudstone vs Shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Mudstone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Mudstone is Rough and Dull and that of Shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Mudstone vs Shale. The hardness of Mudstone is 2-3 and that of Shale is 3. The types of Mudstone are Marl, Shale and Argillite 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 Mudstone and Shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Mudstone is 0.39 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.Mudstone is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.