Sandstone vs Shale

Sandstone 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 Sandstone and Shale 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. 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 Sandstone vs Shale information and Sandstone vs Shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Sandstone and Shale

Here you can know more about Sandstone and Shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Sandstone and Shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Sandstone includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, 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 Sandstone vs Shale, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Sandstone is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas, Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Sandstone is Rough and that of Shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Sandstone vs Shale. The hardness of Sandstone is 6-7 and that of Shale is 3. The types of Sandstone are Grey Sandstones, Crystallized Sandstones, Hard Sandstones , Carbonate Cemented Sandstones and Ganister 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 Sandstone and Shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Sandstone is 0.92 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.Sandstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.