Shale vs Soapstone

Shale vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone Reserves. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. 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 Soapstone information and Shale vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Shale vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Shale and Properties of Soapstone. Learn more about Shale vs Soapstone in the next section. The interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Shale and Soapstone, 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 Soapstone include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Shale and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Shale and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Soapstone 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 Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Soapstone, 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, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Soapstone. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale whereas types of Soapstone are Metamorphic 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 Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 kJ/Kg K and that of Soapstone is 0.88 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 Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.