Shale

Flint

Shale and Flint

Shale

Flint

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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

Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel

History

Origin

Discoverer

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Unknown

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 Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Banded, Rough

Color

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

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

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

Chert and Jasper

Features

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

Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

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.

Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Silicon

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

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Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²450.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.5-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.7-2.71 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Azerbaijan, China, Russia

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

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

Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Bolivia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

New Zealand, South Australia

All about Shale and Flint Properties

Know all about Shale and Flint properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Shale and Flint belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Shale is Clastic, Splintery whereas that of Flint is Banded, Rough. Shale appears Muddy and Flint appears Glassy or Pearly. The luster of Shale is dull while that of Flint is vitreous. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. The commercial uses of Shale are creating artwork, pottery and that of Flint are creating artwork, gemstone, in fire-starting tools, manufacture of tools, metallurgical flux, jewelry, to ignite fire, used in flintlock firearms.