Home
Compare Rocks


Shale and Trachyte


Trachyte and Shale


Definition

Definition
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles  
Trachyte is a grey fine-grained volcanic rock which mainly consists of alkali feldspar  

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Alexandre Brongniart and René Just Haüy  

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 Greek trakhus rough’ or trakhutēs roughness  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Volcanic  

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Splintery  
Aphanitic to Porphyritic  

Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow  
Black, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey, Light to Dark Grey, White  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Muddy  
Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

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, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Pottery  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  

Types

Types
Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale  
Not Available  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used  
Used  

Famous Monuments
Jantar Mantar in India  
Data Not Available  

Sculpture
Used  
Used  

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available  
Data Not Available  

Pictographs
Used  
Used  

Petroglyphs
Used  
Used  

Figurines
Used  
Used  

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.  
Trachyte is an igneous volcanic rock with an aphanitic to porphyritic texture. It is the volcanic equivalent of syenite rock and forms as a result of magmatic differentiation.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides  
Augite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Quartz  

Compound Content
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium  
Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable  
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3  
6  

Grain Size
Very fine-grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Not Available  
Not Available  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Metallic  

Compressive Strength
95.00 N/mm2  
20
150.00 N/mm2  
14

Cleavage
Slaty  
Not Available  

Toughness
2.6  
Not Available  

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8  
2.7  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3  
2.43-2.45 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.39 kJ/Kg K  
23
Not Available  

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia  
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  

Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania  
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland  
Bulgaria, England, Germany, Norway, Romania, Switzerland  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
USA  

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Shale and Trachyte Properties

Know all about Shale and Trachyte properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Shale belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Trachyte belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Shale is Clastic, Splintery whereas that of Trachyte is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Shale appears Muddy and Trachyte appears Banded. The luster of Shale is dull while that of Trachyte is metallic. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Trachyte is available in black, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey, light to dark grey, white colors. The commercial uses of Shale are creating artwork, pottery and that of Trachyte are cemetery markers, creating artwork.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks