Silt and clay size sediments form shale.
Clay rocks are made of the smallest sediment particles. These fine-grained particles are typically less than 0.002 mm in size and form rocks such as shale or mudstone.
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.
Silt particles are usually classified as being between 0.002 mm and 0.063 mm in size
Silt is a granular material intermediate in size between sand and clay, commonly found in rivers or lakes. Sediment refers to particles of solid material that are transported and deposited by water, wind, ice, or gravity, accumulating on the Earth's surface. Silt is a type of sediment.
Silt and clay size sediments form shale.
Silt and clay size sediments form shale.
Siltstone is composed of silt-sized particles that range in size from 1/256 to 1/16 millimeter. These particles are smaller than sand but larger than clay, giving siltstone its characteristic fine-grained texture.
Clay rocks are made of the smallest sediment particles. These fine-grained particles are typically less than 0.002 mm in size and form rocks such as shale or mudstone.
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.
Shale is composed of very fine particles that are typically clay-sized, which means they have a diameter of less than 0.002 millimeters. These particles are compacted and cemented together to form the rock known as shale.
the smallest particles of sediment are found in clay.
Silt particles have a size range between 0.002 to 0.05 mm, making them smaller than sand but larger than clay.
Silt particles are usually classified as being between 0.002 mm and 0.063 mm in size
Shale typically has a grain size of less than 1/256 mm, which classifies it as a fine-grained sedimentary rock.
Silt particles range in size from 0.002 to 0.05 mm, smaller than sand particles but larger than clay particles. Silt feels smooth to the touch and is often found in riverbeds and floodplains.
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.DescriptionSiltstone is a clastic sedimentary rock. As its name implies, it is primarily composed (greater than 2/3) of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi (φ) scale. Siltstones differ significantly from sandstones due to their smaller pores and higher propensity for containing a significant clay fraction. Although often mistaken as a shale, siltstone lacks the fissility and laminations which are typical of shale. Siltstones may contain concretions. Unless the siltstone is fairly shaly, stratification is likely to be obscure and it tends to weather at oblique angles unrelated to bedding. Mudstone or shale are rocks that contain mud, which is material that has a range of silt and clay. Siltstone is differentiated by having a majority silt, not clay.