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Flint and Chalk


Chalk and Flint


Definition

Definition
Flint is a hard type of sedimentary rock that produces a small piece of burning material when hit by steel  
Chalk is a soft, white, powdery limestone consisting mainly of fossil shells of foraminifers  

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Old English flint - a type of rock mainly known for high hardness and for giving off sparks when struck  
From old English cealc chalk, lime, plaster; pebble, from Greek khalix small pebble, in English transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

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

Texture

Texture
Banded, Rough  
Clastic or Non-Clastic  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Glassy or Pearly  
Soft  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Powder  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Spear Points  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, raw material for manufacture of quicklime and slaked lime, Source of calcium  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Manufacture of tools, Metallurgical Flux, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms  
Alumina Refineries, Creating Artwork, Drawing on blackboards, Gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, In aquifers, Paper Industry, Production of Lime, Raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, Soil Conditioner, Whiting, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper  

Types

Types
Not Available  
Not Available  

Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate  
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained 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  
Present  

Formation

Formation
Flint is formed by the decomposition and compaction of various organisms such as sponges and diatoms under the water.  
Chalk is formed from lime mud, which accumulates on the sea floor which is then transformed into rock by geological processes.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Silicon  
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Quartz, Sand  

Compound Content
Silicon Dioxide  
Ca, NaCl, CaO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7  
1  

Grain Size
Very fine-grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Not Available  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Vitreous  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
450.00 N/mm2  
1
Not Available  

Cleavage
Non-Existent  
Non-Existent  

Toughness
1.5  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.8  
2.3-2.4  

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.7-2.71 g/cm3  
2.49-2.50 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.74 kJ/Kg K  
19
0.90 kJ/Kg K  
12

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Azerbaijan, China, Russia  
Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam  

Africa
Not Yet Found  
Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe  

Europe
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom  
England, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
Canada, USA  

South America
Bolivia  
Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, South Australia  
Adelaide, New Zealand, Queensland, Tonga, Victoria, Yorke Peninsula  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Flint and Chalk Properties

Know all about Flint and Chalk properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Flint and Chalk belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Flint is Banded, Rough whereas that of Chalk is Clastic or Non-Clastic. Flint appears Glassy or Pearly and Chalk appears Soft. The luster of Flint is vitreous while that of Chalk is dull. Flint is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors whereas Chalk is available in grey, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Flint are creating artwork, gemstone, in fire-starting tools, manufacture of tools, metallurgical flux, jewelry, to ignite fire, used in flintlock firearms and that of Chalk are alumina refineries, creating artwork, drawing on blackboards, gymnasts, athletes and mountain climbers use for grip, in aquifers, paper industry, production of lime, raw material for manufacture of quicklime, slaked lime, soil conditioner, whiting, whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper.

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