Home
Compare Rocks


Coal vs Phonolite


Phonolite vs Coal


Definition

Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds  
Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive igneous rock volcanic rock of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic  

History
  
  

Origin
USA  
Unknown  

Discoverer
John Peter Salley  
Unknown  

Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century  
From the Greek meaning sounding stone because of the metallic sound it produces if an unfractured plate is hit  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy  
Granular  

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey  
Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled  
Banded and Foilated  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used  
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes  

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone  

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  

Types

Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite  
Kenyte  

Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel  
Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable  
Data Not Available  

Sculpture
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable  
Data Not Available  

Pictographs
Not Used  
Used  

Petroglyphs
Not Used  
Used  

Figurines
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Fossils
Present  
Absent  

Formation

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.  
Phonolite are formed due to alkaline igneous activities and are generally formed in thick continental crustal areas or in Cordilleran subduction zones.   

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  
Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite  

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable  
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5  
5.5-6  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal to Uneven  

Streak
Black  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic  
Greasy to Dull  

Compressive Strength
Not Available  
150.00 N/mm2  
14

Cleavage
Non-Existent  
Poor  

Toughness
Not Available  
Not Available  

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4  
2.6  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent to Opaque  

Density
1100-1400 g/cm3  
2.6 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K  
4
Not Available  

Resistance
Heat Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam  
Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Vietnam  

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania  
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom  
Andorra, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Greenland  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela  
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
<< All

Coal vs Phonolite 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 Coal and Phonolite Reserves. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. Phonolite is an uncommon extrusive igneous rock volcanic rock of intermediate chemical composition between felsic and mafic. 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 Coal vs Phonolite information and Coal vs Phonolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Coal vs Phonolite 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. Coal vs Phonolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Phonolite. Learn more about Coal vs Phonolite in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Phonolite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Phonolite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Coal in construction industry include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production and that of Phonolite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Production of glass and ceramics.

More about Coal and Phonolite

Here you can know more about Coal and Phonolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Phonolite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Coal includes 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 and mineral content of Phonolite includes Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Phonolite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas, Phonolite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Phonolite is Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Phonolite. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Phonolite is 5.5-6. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Phonolite are Kenyte. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Coal is black while that of Phonolite is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Phonolite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Coal is heat resistant whereas Phonolite is heat resistant, impact resistant, wear resistant.

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks