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File:Shale_8040.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ751300· pop 48· linked from 3,719 articles

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. Shale is characterized by its tendency to split into thin layers (laminae) less than one centimeter in thickness. This property is called fissility. Shale is the most common sedimentary rock.

Key facts

Rock.name
Shale
Rock.type
Sedimentary
Rock.image
Shale formation, Marble Canyon, Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, 2025-07-11.jpg
Rock.caption
Shale
Rock.composition
Clay minerals and quartz

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Wikidata facts

Image
ShaleUSGOV.jpg
Show 4 more facts
Commons category
Shale
topic's main category
Category:Shale
different from
crystalline schist
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