Shale

Harzburgite

Shale vs Harzburgite

Shale

Harzburgite

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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

Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and olivine

History

Origin

Germany

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 the name of a town in Harzburg, Germany

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Phaneritic

Color

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

Dark Greenish - Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

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

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

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones

Medical Industry

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

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

Ultramafic rock

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, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

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.

Harzburgite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

35.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Shiny

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²150.00 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/cm³3.1-3.4 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

Japan, Oman

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

South Africa

Europe

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

France, Germany, Italy

Others

Hawaii Islands, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Shale vs Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite Reserves. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. Harzburgite is a plutonic rock of the peridotite group consisting largely of orthopyroxene and 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 Harzburgite information and Shale vs Harzburgite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Shale vs Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Shale and Properties of Harzburgite. Learn more about Shale vs Harzburgite in the next section. The interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Harzburgite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Shale and Harzburgite, 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 Harzburgite include As dimension stone, Cobblestones.

More about Shale and Harzburgite

Here you can know more about Shale and Harzburgite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite, 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, Harzburgite is available in dark greenish - grey colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Harzburgite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Harzburgite. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Harzburgite is 5.5-6. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Harzburgite are Ultramafic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Shale and Harzburgite is white. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Harzburgite 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 Harzburgite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.