Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds
History
Origin
USA
Discoverer
John Peter Salley
Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
-
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Amorphous, Glassy
Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey
Maintenance
Less
Durability
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
58% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
61% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
42% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
36% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
19% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Appearance
Veined or Pebbled
Architecture
Interior Uses
-
Exterior Uses
-
Other Architectural Uses
-
Industry
Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production
Medical Industry
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry
Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite
Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
Famous Monuments
-
Sculpture
-
Famous Sculptures
-
Pictographs
-
Petroglyphs
-
Figurines
-
Fossils
Present
Formation
Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment which is buried by sediments such as mud or sand and then compacted to form coal.
Composition
Mineral Content
Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon
Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
17% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
78% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Types of Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
86% - Sedimentary Rocks Rocks
Types of Erosion
-
Physical Properties
Hardness
1-1.5
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Streak
Black
Porosity
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Compressive Strength
-
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Toughness
-
Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Density
1100-1400 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 4 (Overall)
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Others
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria