Home
Compare Rocks


Shale vs Pseudotachylite


Pseudotachylite vs Shale


Definition

Definition
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles  
Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
USA  

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 pseudo- +‎ tachylite, a glassy rock generated by frictional heat within faults.  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Splintery  
Quench  

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

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Muddy  
Dull and Soft  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration  

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

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, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Monuments  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Pottery  
Creating Artwork, Gemstone  

Types

Types
Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale  
Cataclastic rock  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock  
Host Rock for Lead  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
Jantar Mantar in India  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

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.  
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Pseudotachylite is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides  
Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides  

Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium  
Carbon Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide, Sulphur  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
No  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
-  

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  
-  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3  
7  

Grain Size
Very fine-grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
-  
Uneven  

Streak
White  
Light to dark brown  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
95.00 N/mm2  
30
60.00 N/mm2  
37

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
2.6  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8  
2.46-2.86  

Transparency
Opaque  
Transparent to Translucent  

Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3  
2.7-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.39 kJ/Kg K  
30
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant  
Heat Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia  
South Korea  

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

Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland  
Great Britain, Switzerland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
-  

South America
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela  
-  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
<< All

Shale vs Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite Reserves. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. Very fine grained fault rock which is composed of glassy matrix that often contains inclusions of wall-rock fragments.. 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 Pseudotachylite information and Shale vs Pseudotachylite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

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

More about Shale and Pseudotachylite

Here you can know more about Shale and Pseudotachylite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Pseudotachylite 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 Pseudotachylite includes Iron Oxides, Pyroxene, Quartz, Stishovite, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Pseudotachylite, 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, Pseudotachylite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Pseudotachylite is Dull and Soft. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Pseudotachylite. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Pseudotachylite is 7. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Pseudotachylite are Cataclastic rock. 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 Pseudotachylite is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Pseudotachylite is 0.92 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 Pseudotachylite is heat resistant.

Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

» More Sedimentary Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks