Quartzite
They are all clastic sedmimentary rocks formed mainly of silicate minerals.
No, you generally cannot scratch shale with your fingernails. Shale is a sedimentary rock that is relatively hard and composed of clay minerals, making it more resistant to scratching. Fingernails have a hardness of about 2.5 on the Mohs scale, while shale typically has a hardness of around 3 to 4. Therefore, a fingernail would not be able to leave a scratch on shale.
Silica also called quartz cement, Calcite Cement, Iron Oxides also called hematite cement that bind sand together in sandstone. Sandstone also has other cementing agents that occur in less common forms. These cementing agents include pyrite, barite and gypsum.
Shale.
No i believe that Shale is considered a Clastic rock because it is made up of small pieces of other broken rocks.
During the intrusion of the Palisades Sill, contact metamorphism changed sandstone and shale into quartzite and hornfels. Quartzite forms from the recrystallization of quartz sandstone, while hornfels forms from the alteration of shale due to high temperatures and pressures near the igneous intrusion.
Examples of rocks that are easily weathered include limestone, sandstone, and shale, which are sedimentary rocks. Rocks that are resistant to weathering include granite, basalt, and quartzite, which are igneous and metamorphic rocks that have a more crystalline structure and are less prone to chemical breakdown from weathering processes.
Cap rock. Resistant cap rock will help protect softer rock below it from erosion. Any rock type that is more resistant to erosion than the rock type below it is called a cap rock. For instance, it could be basalt (igneous) overlying limestone (sedimentary), or limestone (sedimentary) over shale (also sedimentary).
compacting and cementaing heat and pressure melting
The protolith of a quartzite is a sedimentary rock called sandstone. Quartzite forms when sandstone undergoes metamorphism, typically due to high heat and pressure, causing the quartz grains in the sandstone to recrystallize and merge together.
Shale is generally more resistant to erosion compared to other rock types like sandstone due to its fine-grained nature and ability to compact tightly. However, shale can still erode over time through processes such as weathering, rainfall, and freeze-thaw cycles.
limestone,sandstone,and shale
The Appalachian mountains are older and composed of softer rocks, like sandstone and shale, which are more susceptible to erosion compared to the rocky mountains, which are younger and made of harder, more resistant rocks like granite and quartzite. Additionally, the Appalachian region receives more precipitation, which accelerates the erosion process.
It depends on how you are defining the word 'soft'. Quartzite is the hardest and most durable of the three - no question there. Shale can be crumbled with the tap of a hammer. Some loosely cemented sandstone can be crumbled when squeezed hard enough with your hand and some is well cemented and quite hard.
Igneous: * Obsidian * Granite * Diorite * Gabbro * Pumice * Basalt Metamorphic: * Slate * Phyllite * Gneiss * Mica schist * Marble * Quartzite * Granulite Sedimentary: * Limestone * Sandstone * Shale * Chert * Mudstone * Chalk
shale
Shale forms in layers of sandstone or lime.