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Shale
Shale

Flint
Flint



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Shale vs Flint

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

History

Origin

Unknown
Unknown

Discoverer

Unknown
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
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Not Applicable
Not Applicable

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Clastic, Splintery
Banded, Rough

Color

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

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
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
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
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

Not Available
Not Available

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

Types

Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale
Not Available

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

Used
Not Yet Used

Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India
Not Applicable

Sculpture

Used
Not Yet Used

Famous Sculptures

Not Available
Not Applicable

Pictographs

Used
Not Used

Petroglyphs

Used
Not Used

Figurines

Used
Not Yet Used

Fossils

Present
Present

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.
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

Not Applicable
Not Applicable

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Not Applicable

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

37
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

Not Available
Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull
Vitreous

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm2450.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
Not Available

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
Not Available

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

Not Available
Not Available

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
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

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

Shale vs Flint 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 Flint characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Shale and Properties of Flint. Learn more about Shale vs Flint in the next section. The interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Flint include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Shale and Flint, 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 Flint include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Shale and Flint

Here you can know more about Shale and Flint. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Flint 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 Flint includes Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Flint, 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, Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Flint is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Flint. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Flint is 7. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Flint are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Shale and Flint is white. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Flint is 0.74 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 Flint is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.