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Shale
Shale

Dunite
Dunite



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Shale vs Dunite

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Definition

Definition

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles
Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine

History

Origin

-
New Zealand

Discoverer

Johann Gottlob Lehmann
Ferdinand von Hochstetter

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 name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
Plutonic

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Clastic, Splintery
Phaneritic

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Muddy
Rough and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

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-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds

Types

Types

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

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

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-

Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India
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Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

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-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Absent

Formation

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.
Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

33.5-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Coarse Grained

Fracture

-
Irregular

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull
Shiny

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm2107.55 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
-

Toughness

2.6
2.1

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.83-3.01
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm32.84-2.85 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K1.25 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Morocco, South Africa

Europe

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Shale vs Dunite 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 Dunite Reserves. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine. 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 Dunite information and Shale vs Dunite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Shale and Dunite

Here you can know more about Shale and Dunite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Dunite 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 Dunite includes Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Dunite, 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, Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Dunite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Dunite. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Dunite is 3.5-4. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Dunite are Dunite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Shale and Dunite is white. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Dunite is 1.25 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 Dunite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.