Shale

Fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:

Can you list the top facts and stats about Shale?

Summarize this article for a 10 years old

SHOW ALL QUESTIONS

Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2Si2O5(OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite.[1] Shale is characterized by its tendency to split into thin layers (laminae) less than one centimeter in thickness. This property is called fissility.[1] Shale is the most common sedimentary rock.[2]

Quick facts: Composition...
Shale
Sedimentary rock
Chattanooga_Shale_%28Upper_Devonian%3B_Burkesville_West_Rt._90_roadcut%2C_Kentucky%2C_USA%29_25_%2840541681100%29.jpg
Shale
Composition
Clay minerals and quartz
Close

The term shale is sometimes applied more broadly, as essentially a synonym for mudrock, rather than in the more narrow sense of clay-rich fissile mudrock.[3]