Shale

Lignite

Shale and Lignite

Shale

Lignite

Add ⊕

Definition

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

Lignite is a soft brownish coal which shows traces of plants and is intermediate between bituminous coal and peat

History

Origin

France

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 French, Latin lignum wood + -ite1

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

for Road Aggregate, Steel Production

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Electricity Generation

Types

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

Xyloid Lignite or Fossil Wood and Compact Lignite or Perfect Lignite

Features

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

Generally rough to touch, 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 formation takes place due to accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. The Coal formation process continues, as peat turns into lignite brown or black coal at increasing heat and pressure.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

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, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Highly 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/cm³800-801 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K1.26 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 Lignite Properties

Know all about Shale and Lignite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Shale and Lignite belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Shale is Clastic, Splintery whereas that of Lignite is Amorphous, Glassy. Shale appears Muddy and Lignite appears Veined or Pebbled. The luster of Shale is dull while that of Lignite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Lignite 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 Lignite are electricity generation.