Shale

Limestone

Shale vs Limestone

Shale

Limestone

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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

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

New Zealand

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

Belsazar Hacquet

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 lime and stone in late 14th Century

1.4 Class

Sedimentary Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Clastic or Non-Clastic

2.2 Color

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

Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Cream, Gold, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Linen, Pink, Red, Rust, Silver, White, Yellow

2.3 Maintenance

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

Rough and Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

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

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

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, Cobblestones, for Road Aggregate, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Animal feed filler, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Paper Industry, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa

4.2 Features

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

Host Rock for Lead, Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Zinc and Copper Deposits

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India

Acropolis of Athens in Greece, Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Big Ben in London, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Chichen Itza in Mexico, Empire State Building in New York, Khajuraho Temples, India, Kremlin in Moscow, Louvre in Paris, France, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

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.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock which is mainly made up of calcium carbonate.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt

5.2.2 Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, MgO

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

33-4

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Not Available

Splintery

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

Dull to Pearly

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²115.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Slaty

Non-Existent

6.1.9 Toughness

2.6

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.3-2.7

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.3-2.7 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K0.91 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

7.1.3 Europe

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

United Kingdom

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

USA

7.2.2 South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Colombia

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

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

Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula

Shale vs Limestone 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 Limestone Reserves. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate. 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 Limestone information and Shale vs Limestone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Shale vs Limestone 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 Limestone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Shale and Properties of Limestone. Learn more about Shale vs Limestone in the next section. The interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Limestone include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Shale and Limestone, 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 Limestone include Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, For road aggregate, Production of glass and ceramics, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone, Source of calcium.

More about Shale and Limestone

Here you can know more about Shale and Limestone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Limestone 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 Limestone includes Calcite, Chert, Clay, Dolomite, Quartz, Sand, Silt. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Limestone, 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, Limestone is available in beige, black, blue, brown, cream, gold, green, grey, light green, light grey, linen, pink, red, rust, silver, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Limestone is Rough and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Limestone. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Limestone is 3-4. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Limestone are Chalk, Coquina, Fossiliferous Limestone, Lithographic Limestone, Oolitic Limestone, Travertine, Tufa. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Shale and Limestone is white. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Limestone is 0.91 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 Limestone is pressure resistant.