Shale

Coal

Shale vs Coal

Shale

Coal

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1 Definition

1.1 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

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

USA

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

John Peter Salley

1.3 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

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

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

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Amorphous, Glassy

2.2 Color

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

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

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Muddy

Veined or Pebbled

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Not Yet Used

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Not Yet Used

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 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

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

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

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

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

4.2 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

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Present

5 Formation

5.1 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.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 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

5.2.2 Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Not Applicable

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Not Applicable

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

31-1.5

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

Black

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²NA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Slaty

Non-Existent

6.1.9 Toughness

2.6

Not Available

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.2-2.81.1-1.4

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³1100-1400 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K1.32 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Heat Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

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

7.1.2 Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

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

7.1.3 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

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

USA

Canada, Mexico, USA

7.2.2 South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

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

New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria

Shale vs Coal 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 Shale and Coal Reserves. 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. 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 Shale vs Coal information and Shale vs Coal characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Shale vs Coal 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. Shale vs Coal characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Shale and Properties of Coal. Learn more about Shale vs Coal in the next section. The interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Coal include Not yet used. Due to some exceptional properties of Shale and Coal, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Shale in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Coal include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production.

More about Shale and Coal

Here you can know more about Shale and Coal. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Coal consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides and mineral content of Coal includes 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. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Coal, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Coal is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Coal. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Coal is 1-1.5. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Shale is white while that of Coal is black. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Coal is heat resistant.