Shale

Coal

Shale and Coal

Shale

Coal

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Definition

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

Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

John Peter Salley

Etymology

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,

From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Amorphous, Glassy

Color

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

Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Veined or Pebbled

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry

Types

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

Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Formation

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.

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

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

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

31-1.5

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²-

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.81.1-1.4

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³1100-1400 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K1.32 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

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

Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

All about Shale and Coal Properties

Know all about Shale and Coal properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Shale and Coal belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Shale is Clastic, Splintery whereas that of Coal is Amorphous, Glassy. Shale appears Muddy and Coal appears Veined or Pebbled. The luster of Shale is dull while that of Coal is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Shale are creating artwork, pottery and that of Coal are alumina refineries, electricity generation, liquid fuel, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, paper industry.