File:Shale_8040.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
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
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- ShaleUSGOV.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- Commons category
- Shale
- topic's main category
- Category:Shale
- different from
- crystalline schist
- exact match
- purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ENVO_00002056
via Wikidata · CC0