Sandstone

Mudstone

Sandstone vs Mudstone

Sandstone

Mudstone

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Definition

Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded

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

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

William Smith

Etymology

From its composition, sand and stone

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

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Granular, Rough

Clastic

Color

Beige, Black, Brown, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Rough

Rough and Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, In aquifers, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Types

Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister

Marl, Shale and Argillite

Features

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

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Abu Simbel in Egypt, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Dom in Berlin, Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, India, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, India Gate in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Khajuraho Temples, India, Leh Palace in Leh, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Luxor Temple in Egypt, Machu Picchu in Peru, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Petra in Jordan, Qutb Minar in India, Red Fort in Delhi, India, Sanchi Stupa in India

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Formation

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock which forms from cemented sand-sized clasts. It forms when sand layers are buried under sediments of sand.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

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

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-72-3

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Coarse or Fine

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²25.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.2-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.2-2.8 g/cm³2.4-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Uzbekistan

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

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

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

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

Sandstone vs Mudstone 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 Sandstone and Mudstone Reserves. Sandstone is defined as a rock which is composed of sand-sized grains of various minerals mostly of uniform size and often are smooth and rounded. 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. 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 Sandstone vs Mudstone information and Sandstone vs Mudstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Sandstone and Mudstone

Here you can know more about Sandstone and Mudstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Sandstone and Mudstone consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Sandstone includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz and mineral content of Mudstone 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 Sandstone vs Mudstone, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Sandstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Mudstone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Sandstone is Rough and that of Mudstone is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Sandstone vs Mudstone. The hardness of Sandstone is 6-7 and that of Mudstone is 2-3. The types of Sandstone are Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister whereas types of Mudstone are Marl, Shale and Argillite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Sandstone and Mudstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Sandstone is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Mudstone 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.Sandstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Mudstone is heat resistant, impact resistant.