Definition
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.
  
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
  
History
  
  
Origin
USA
  
USA
  
Discoverer
Unknown
  
John Peter Salley
  
Etymology
From pseudo- + tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.
  
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
  
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
  
Sedimentary Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Quench
  
Amorphous, Glassy
  
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
  
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
  
Maintenance
Less
  
Less
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Scratch Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
No
  
Wind Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Appearance
Dull and Soft
  
Veined or Pebbled
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration
  
Not Yet Used
  
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
  
Not Yet Used
  
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
  
Not Yet Used
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement
  
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments
  
Artifacts
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone
  
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
  
Types
Not Available
  
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
  
Features
Host Rock for Lead
  
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
  
Not Applicable
  
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Pictographs
Not Used
  
Not Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Not Used
  
Figurines
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Present
  
Formation
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.
  
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
Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides
  
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
Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur
  
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
  
Weathering
No
  
No
  
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Erosion
No
  
No
  
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
7
  
1-1.5
  
Grain Size
Very fine-grained
  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Uneven
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
Light to dark brown
  
Black
  
Porosity
Less Porous
  
Less Porous
  
Luster
Vitreous
  
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
  
Compressive Strength
60.00 N/mm
2
  
25
Not Available
  
Cleavage
Irregular
  
Non-Existent
  
Toughness
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
2.46-2.86
  
1.1-1.4
  
Transparency
Transparent to Translucent
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.7-2.9 g/cm3
  
1100-1400 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K
  
10
1.32 kJ/Kg K
  
4
Resistance
Heat Resistant
  
Heat Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
South Korea
  
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
  
Africa
Western Africa
  
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
  
Europe
Great Britain, Switzerland
  
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Not Yet Found
  
Canada, Mexico, USA
  
South America
Not Yet Found
  
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
  
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria