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Shale
Shale

Shale (also called mudstone) is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clay minerals or muds. Sedimentary rock is one of the three main rock types (the others being igneous and Metamorphic rock) Clay minerals are hydrous Aluminium phyllosilicates, sometimes with variable amounts of Iron, Magnesium, Alkali metals Alkaline In computer gaming, a MUD ( Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension) is a multi-player computer game that combines elements of It is characterized by thin laminae[1] breaking with an irregular curving fracture, often splintery and usually parallel to the often-indistinguishable bedding plane. This property is called fissility. Fissility refers to the property of Mudstones to split along layers more or less parallel to the plane of bedding thus becoming described as Shales See Non-fissile rocks of similar composition but made of particles smaller than 1/16 mm are described as mudstones. In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere Mudstone (also called mudrock) is a fine grained Sedimentary rock whose original constituents were Clays or Muds Grain size is up Rocks with similar particle sizes but with less clay and therefore grittier are siltstones. Siltstone is a Sedimentary rock which has a composition intermediate in grain size between the coarser Sandstones and the finer Mudstones and Shale is the most common sedimentary rock. [2]

Sample of drill cuttings of shale while drilling an oil well in Louisiana. Sand grain = 2 mm. in dia.
Sample of drill cuttings of shale while drilling an oil well in Louisiana. Drill cuttings refers to any material (typically called solids) removed from a Borehole while drilling petroleum wells. West Texas PumpjackJPG|thumb|right|300px|This Pumpjack located south of Midland TX is a common sight in West Texas. The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Sand grain = 2 mm. in dia.

Contents

Formation

Limey shale overlaid by limestone, Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee
Limey shale overlaid by limestone, Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee

The process in the rock cycle which forms shale is compaction. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. rock cycle is a fundamental concept in Geology that describes the dynamic transitions through Geologic time among the three main rock types Sedimentary Compaction (geology refers to the process by which a Sediment progressively loses its Porosity due to the effects of loading The fine particles that compose shale can remain in water long after the larger and denser particles of sand have deposited. Shales are typically deposited in very slow moving water and are often found in lake and lagoonal deposits, in river deltas, on floodplains and offshore of beach sands. A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or Brackish water separated from the deeper Sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral A delta is a Landform where the mouth of a River flows into an Ocean, Sea, Estuary, Lake or another river ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic They can also be deposited on the continental shelf, in relatively deep, quiet water. The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each Continent and associated Coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such

'Black shales' are dark, as a result of being especially rich in unoxidized carbon. Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state Carbon (kɑɹbən is a Chemical element with the symbol C and its Atomic number is 6 Common in some Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, black shales were deposited in anoxic, reducing environments, such as in stagnant water columns. The Paleozoic or Palaeozoic Era (from the Greek palaio (παλαιο "old" and zoe (ζωη "life" meaning "ancient life" The Mesozoic Era is one of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon. In Geology and related fields a stratum (plural strata) is a layer of rock or Soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguishes Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state

Fossils, animal tracks/burrows and even raindrop impact craters are sometimes preserved on shale bedding surfaces. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Shales may also contain concretions. A concretion is a volume of Sedimentary rock in which a Mineral cement fills the porosity (i

Shales that are subject to heat and pressure alter into a hard, fissile, metamorphic rock known as slate, which is often used in building construction. Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of an existing rock type the protolith, in a process called Metamorphism, which means "change Slate is a fine-grained foliated homogeneous, Metamorphic rock derived from an original Shale -type Sedimentary rock composed of Clay

Weathering shale at a road cut in southeastern Kentucky
Weathering shale at a road cut in southeastern Kentucky

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ "shale". Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, Soils and their Minerals through direct contact with the planet's Atmosphere. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Bituminous shale is an Argillaceous Shale impregnated with Bitumen, often accompanying Coal. See also Burgess shale type fauna The Burgess Shale is famous for the exceptional preservation of the fossils found within it in which the soft parts are preserved The Barnett Shale is a geological formation of economic significance Wianamatta shale is a type of shale prevalent in the Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. Chambers Dictionary of Science and Technology. (1999). Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd.  
  2. ^ Rocks: Materials of the Lithosphere - Summary. Retrieved on 2007-07-31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently

References

Dictionary

shale

-noun

  1. A shell or husk; a cod or pod.
  2. A fine-grained sedimentary rock of a thin, laminated, and often friable, structure.

-verb

  1. To take off the shell or coat of; to shell.
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