Home›Geological Formations›Rock Type›ShaleMaterialShaleSedimentary RocksReference and ClassificationDevelopingA fine-grained clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud, a mix of clay mineral flakes and silt-sized fragments of quartz and calcite, and the most common sedimentary rock on Earth. Its signature property is fissility, the tendency to split into layers less than a centimeter thick, and under low-grade regional metamorphism it becomes slate. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/FactsShaleConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsKindWell-attestedRock 1Formation ClassWell-attestedSedimentary, clastic (formed from mud of clay minerals and silt-sized particles) 1ColourWell-attestedGrey or Black 2RarityWell-attestedAbundant 2ClassificationClassificationWell-attestedSedimentary Rock 1UseWell-attestedCeramic and Glass Manufacture 2ShaleFilter Results36 entriesFormation FamilyAllCenozoic and Ice Age Fossil Sites (2)Cratons and Shields (1)Domes and Uplifts (1)Fossil-Bearing Stratigraphic Formations (13)Islands of Asia (1)Mesas, Cuestas and Tablelands (1)Named Scenic Rock and Cliff Formations (1)Paleozoic Fossil Sites (6)Rift Valleys and Depressions (1)Structural Geology Concepts (1)Terranes and Suture Zones (1)Valleys of Europe (2)Valleys of North America (2)Valleys of the British Isles (2)Formation TypeAllCenozoic and Ice Age Fossil Sites (2)Cratons and Shields (1)Domes and Uplifts (1)Fossil-Bearing Stratigraphic Formations (13)Islands of Asia (1)Mesas, Cuestas and Tablelands (1)Named Scenic Rock and Cliff Formations (1)Paleozoic Fossil Sites (6)Rift Valleys and Depressions (1)Structural Geology Concepts (1)Terranes and Suture Zones (1)Valleys of North America (2)Valleys of the British Isles (2)WhereAllAfrica (1)Antarctica (1)Australia (1)Austria (1)Brazil (1)Canada (3)China (1)Colombia (1)Denmark (1)France (1)Germany (3)Guyana (1)Indonesia (1)Italy (1)Lithuania (1)Luxembourg (1)Malaysia (1)Morocco (1)Netherlands (2)Poland (1)Russia (1)South Africa (1)Suriname (1)Sweden (1)Switzerland (2)United Kingdom (4)United States (13)Venezuela (1)Formed By (Process)AllErosion (8)Karstification (1)Orogeny (2)Plate Tectonics (1)Sedimentation (16)Geological AgeAllCambrian (3)Carboniferous (1)Cretaceous (2)Jurassic (2)Ordovician (4)Silurian (1)Triassic (1)Protected StatusAllInternational Treaty Protected Area (1)IUGS Geological Heritage Site (1)Locally or Regionally Protected (4)National Monument or Landmark (1)National Park or Reserve (6)UNESCO World Heritage Site (4)DisciplineAllGeology (1)Geomorphology (17)Stratigraphy (17)Structural Geology (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 36Alum ShaleShaleBadlands National ParkShaleBeecher's Trilobite BedShaleBesano FormationShaleBlue LiasShaleBright Angel ShaleShaleBryce Canyon AmphitheaterShaleBurgess ShaleShaleCanaan ValleyShaleDob's LinnShaleEllsworth MountainsShaleEmu Bay ShaleShaleFezouata FormationShaleFlyschShaleGuiana ShieldShaleGunung Mulu CavesShaleHerefordshire LagerstätteShaleHomoclinal ridgeShaleHorseshoe Canyon FormationShaleKarimunjawaShaleKaroo SupergroupShaleKupferschieferShaleMaotianshan ShalesShaleMesaShaleMessel PitShaleMonument ValleyShalePainted DesertShalePainted Hills, OregonShalePierre ShaleShalePosidonia ShaleShaleSan Rafael SwellShaleSanta Clara ValleyShaleSoom ShaleShaleWheeler ShaleShaleWinneshiek ShaleShaleWye ValleyShaleConnectionsAssociated WithAlum Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Alum Shale Formation (Wikipedia)Badlands National Park, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Badlands National Park (Wikipedia)Beecher's Trilobite Bed, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Beecher's Trilobite Bed (Wikipedia)Besano Formation, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Besano Formation (Wikipedia)Blue Lias, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Blue Lias (Wikipedia)Bright Angel Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Bright Angel Shale (Wikipedia)Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Bryce Canyon National Park, WikipediaBurgess Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Burgess Shale (Wikipedia)Canaan Valley, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Canaan Valley (Wikipedia)Dob's Linn, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Dob's Linn (Wikipedia)Ellsworth Mountains, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Ellsworth Mountains (Wikipedia)Emu Bay Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Emu Bay Shale (Wikipedia)Fezouata Formation, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Fezouata Formation (Wikipedia)Flysch, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Flysch (Wikipedia)Guiana Shield, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Guiana Shield (Wikipedia)Gunung Mulu Caves, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Gunung Mulu National Park (Wikipedia)Herefordshire Lagerstätte, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Coalbrookdale Formation (Wikipedia)Homoclinal ridge, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Homoclinal ridge (Wikipedia)Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Wikipedia)Karimunjawa, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Karimunjawa Islands (Wikipedia)Karoo Supergroup, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Karoo Supergroup (Wikipedia)Kupferschiefer, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Kupferschiefer (Wikipedia)Maotianshan Shales, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Maotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)Mesa, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Mesa (Wikipedia)Messel Pit, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Messel Pit (Wikipedia)Monument Valley, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Monument Valley, WikipediaPainted Desert, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Painted Desert (Arizona) (Wikipedia)Painted Hills, Oregon, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Painted Hills (Wikipedia)Pierre Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Pierre Shale (Wikipedia)Posidonia Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Posidonia Shale (Wikipedia)Pyrite, Minerals Well-attested Pyrite forms in shale during early diagenesis of anoxic mud; cited via shale's own registered source since Pyrite carries only the generic mineral-wikipedia stub as its own source.Source Shale (Wikipedia)San Rafael Swell, Geological Formations Well-attested Source San Rafael Swell (Wikipedia)Santa Clara Valley, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Santa Clara Valley (Wikipedia)Slate, Materials Well-attested Slate is the low-grade metamorphic product of a shale-type sedimentary rock.Source Slate (Wikipedia)Soom Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Soom Shale (Wikipedia)Wheeler Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Wheeler Shale (Wikipedia)Winneshiek Shale, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Winneshiek Shale (Wikipedia)Wye Valley, Geological Formations Well-attested Source Wye Valley (Wikipedia)Caused BySedimentation, Processes Well-attested Source Shale (Wikipedia)Classified AsSedimentary Rocks, Subcategories Well-attested In DisciplineGeology, Disciplines Well-attested Source Shale (Wikipedia)Sources1. Shale (Wikipedia)Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionShale 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.Lead sectionShale 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.Associated With: Pyrite, Formation sectionPyrite may be formed in anoxic mud at this stage of diagenesis.Caused By: Sedimentation, Lead paragraphShale 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 calciteView the Source2. Geology.com: Shale: Sedimentary RockGeology.comUses of ShaleShale is used as a raw material for making many types of brick, tile, pipe, pottery, and other manufactured products.DescriptionShale is the most abundant sedimentary rock and is in sedimentary basins worldwide.Article textThese shales obtain their black color from tiny particles of organic matter that were deposited with the mud from which the shale formed.Article text, rarityEurope Maps North America Maps South America Maps United States Maps World Maps Advertising Home » Rocks » Sedimentary Rocks » Shale Shale Shale is the most abundant sedimentary rock and is in sedimentary basinsView the SourceWikidata: ShaleWikidata Q751300Painted Hills (Wikipedia)Associated With: Painted Hills, Oregon, Lead paragraphThe different layers of colors are due to the soil being composed of a combination of mudstone, siltstone, shale and lignite.Associated With: Painted Hills, Oregon, Lead, rock ShaleThe different layers of colors are due to the soil being composed of a combination of mudstone, siltstone, shale and lignite.View the SourceMessel Pit (Wikipedia)Associated With: Messel Pit, Lead paragraphQuote, Associated With: Messel Pit, Lead paragraphThe formation mainly comprises lacustrine laminated bituminous shale ("oil shale") renowned for its content of fossils in exceptional preservation, particularly plants, arthropods and vertebrates (e.g.View the SourceBlue Lias (Wikipedia)Associated With: Blue Lias, Lead paragraphThe Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago.Associated With: Blue Lias, Lead, rock ShaleThe Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago.View the SourceBesano Formation (Wikipedia)Associated With: Besano Formation, Lead paragraphThis formation, a thin but fossiliferous succession of dolomite and black shale, is famous for its preservation of Middle Triassic (Anisian-Ladinian) marine life including fish and aquatic reptiles.Associated With: Besano Formation, Lead, rock ShaleThis formation, a thin but fossiliferous succession of dolomite and black shale, is famous for its preservation of Middle Triassic (Anisian-Ladinian) marine life including fish and aquatic reptiles.View the SourceBeecher's Trilobite Bed (Wikipedia)Associated With: Beecher's Trilobite Bed, Lead paragraphBeecher's Trilobite Bed is a Konservat-Lagerstätte of Late Ordovician (Caradoc) age located within the Frankfort Shale in Cleveland's Glen, Oneida County, New York, USA. Only 3-4 centimeters thick, Beecher's Trilobite Bed has yielded numerous exceptionally preserved trilobites with the ventral anatomy and soft tissue intact, the soft tissue preserved by pyrite replacement.Associated With: Beecher's Trilobite Bed, Lead, rock ShaleBeecher's Trilobite Bed is a Konservat-Lagerstätte of Late Ordovician (Caradoc) age located within the Frankfort Shale in Cleveland's Glen, Oneida County, New York, USA.View the SourceAlum Shale Formation (Wikipedia)Associated With: Alum Shale, Lead paragraphThe Alum Shale Formation is a rock formation of black shale of Miaolingian (Middle Cambrian) to Tremadocian (Lower Ordovician) in age found predominantly in Scandinavia, but also some parts of Estonia and Finland.Associated With: Alum Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Alum Shale Formation is a rock formation of black shale of Miaolingian (Middle Cambrian) to Tremadocian (Lower Ordovician) in age found predominantly in Scandinavia, but also some parts of Estonia and Finland.View the SourceWheeler Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Wheeler Shale, Lead paragraphTogether with the Marjum Formation and lower Weeks Formation, the Wheeler Shale forms 490 to 610 m (1,610 to 2,000 ft) of limestone and shale exposed in one of the thickest, most fossiliferous and best exposed sequences of Middle Cambrian rocks in North America.Associated With: Wheeler Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Wheeler Shale (named by Charles Walcott) is a Cambrian (c.View the SourceBadlands National Park (Wikipedia)Associated With: Badlands National Park, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Badlands National Park, Article text, rock ShaleThese dark marine muds make up the Pierre Shale, which contains fossils of marine animals such as ammonites and mosasaurs.View the SourceBright Angel Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Bright Angel Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Bright Angel Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Bright Angel Shale consists of locally fossiliferous, green and red-brown, micaceous, fissile shale (mudstone) and siltstone with local, thicker beds of brown to tan sandstone and limestone.View the SourceWikipedia: Bryce Canyon National Park, WikipediaAssociated With: Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Bryce Canyon Amphitheater, Article text, rock ShaleThe ancient depositional environment varied. Dakota Sandstone and Tropic Shale were deposited in the warm, shallow waters of the advancing and retreating Cretaceous Seaway (outcrops of these rocks are found just outside park borders).View the SourceBurgess Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Burgess Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Burgess Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Burgess Shale is a fossil-bearing deposit exposed in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada.View the SourceCanaan Valley (Wikipedia)Associated With: Canaan Valley, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Canaan Valley, Article text, rock ShaleThe Valley itself is carved into the low dome of sedimentary rock known as the Blackwater Anticline, exposing the soft shales of the Mauch Chunk Formation.View the SourceDob's Linn (Wikipedia)Associated With: Dob's Linn, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Dob's Linn, Lead, rock ShaleThe boundary is defined as the first appearance of graptolites Parakidograptus acuminatus and Akidograptus ascensu 1.6 m above the base of the Birkhill Shale Formation.View the SourceEllsworth Mountains (Wikipedia)Associated With: Ellsworth Mountains, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Ellsworth Mountains, Article text, rock ShaleFormation of ashflow tuff-lahar deposits, the Hyde Glacier Formation of graywacke-argillite-conglomerate, the Drake Icefall Formation of black shales and marble, the Conglomerate Ridge Formation of conglomerate and quartzite, the Liberty Hills-Springer Peak-Frazier Ridge Formations of quartzite-argillite, and theView the SourceEmu Bay Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Emu Bay Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Emu Bay Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Emu Bay Shale is a geological formation in Emu Bay, South Australia, containing a major Konservat-Lagerstätte (fossil beds with soft tissue preservation).View the SourceFezouata Formation (Wikipedia)Associated With: Fezouata Formation, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Fezouata Formation, Lead, rock ShaleThe Fezouata Formation or Fezouata Shale is a geological formation in Morocco which dates to the Early Ordovician.View the SourceFlysch (Wikipedia)Associated With: Flysch, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Flysch, Lead, rock ShaleFlysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones.View the SourceGuiana Shield (Wikipedia)Associated With: Guiana Shield, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Guiana Shield, Lead, rock ShaleThe rocks of the Guiana Shield consist of metasediments and metavolcanics (greenstones) overlain by sub-horizontal layers of sandstones, quartzites, shales and conglomerates intruded by sills of younger mafic intrusives such as gabbros.View the SourceGunung Mulu National Park (Wikipedia)Associated With: Gunung Mulu Caves, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Gunung Mulu Caves, Article text, rock ShaleIt was formed from Palaeocene-Upper Eocene with the interbedding of sandstone and shales.View the SourceCoalbrookdale Formation (Wikipedia)Associated With: Herefordshire Lagerstätte, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Herefordshire Lagerstätte, Lead, rock ShaleCoalbrookdale Formation, earlier known as Wenlock Shale or Wenlock Shale Formation and also referred to as Herefordshire Lagerstätte in palaeontology, is a fossil-rich deposit (Konservat-Lagerstätte) in Powys and Herefordshire at the England-Wales border in UK.View the SourceHomoclinal ridge (Wikipedia)Associated With: Homoclinal ridge, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Homoclinal ridge, Lead, rock ShaleHomoclinal ridges are the expression of regional outcrops of moderately dipping strata, typically sedimentary strata, that consist of alternating beds of hard, well-lithified strata, i.e. sandstone and limestone and weak or loosely cemented strata, i.e. shale, mudstone, and marl.View the SourceHorseshoe Canyon Formation (Wikipedia)Associated With: Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Lead, rock ShaleIt is of Late Cretaceous age, Campanian to early Maastrichtian stage (Edmontonian Land-Mammal Age), and is composed of mudstone, sandstone, carbonaceous shales, and coal seams.View the SourceKarimunjawa Islands (Wikipedia)Associated With: Karimunjawa, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Karimunjawa, Article text, rock ShaleThe archipelago consists predominantly of pre-Tertiary continental islands primarily of quartzites and shales covered by basaltic lava.View the SourceKaroo Supergroup (Wikipedia)Associated With: Karoo Supergroup, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Karoo Supergroup, Lead, rock ShaleIts strata, which consist mostly of shales and sandstones, record an almost continuous sequence of marine glacial to terrestrial deposition from the Late Carboniferous to the Early Jurassic.View the SourceKupferschiefer (Wikipedia)Associated With: Kupferschiefer, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Kupferschiefer, Lead, rock ShaleThe Kupferschiefer (German for Copper Shale, Copper Schist or Copper Slate) or Kupfermergel (Copper Marl), (T1 or Z1) is an extensive and remarkable sedimentary unit in Central Europe.View the SourceMaotianshan Shales (Wikipedia)Associated With: Maotianshan Shales, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Maotianshan Shales, Lead, rock ShaleThe Maotianshan Shales (simplified Chinese: 帽天山页岩; traditional Chinese: 帽天山頁岩; pinyin: Màotiānshān yèyán) are a series of Early Cambrian sedimentary deposits in the Chiungchussu Formation or Heilinpu Formation, famous for their Konservat Lagerstätten, deposits known for the exceptional preservation of fossilized organisms or traces.View the SourceMesa (Wikipedia)Associated With: Mesa, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Mesa, Lead, rock ShaleMesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a resistant layer of harder rock, like sandstone or limestone, forming a caprock that protects the flat summit.View the SourceWikipedia: Monument Valley, WikipediaAssociated With: Monument Valley, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Monument Valley, Article text, rock ShaleThe lowest layer is the Organ Rock Shale, the middle is de Chelly Sandstone, and the top layer is the Moenkopi Formation capped by Shinarump Conglomerate.View the SourcePainted Desert (Arizona) (Wikipedia)Associated With: Painted Desert, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Painted Desert, Article text, rock ShaleThe desert is composed of stratified layers of siltstone, mudstone, and shale of the Triassic Chinle Formation, which erode easily.View the SourcePierre Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Pierre Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Pierre Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Pierre Shale is a geologic formation or series in the Upper Cretaceous which occurs east of the Rocky Mountains in the Great Plains, from Pembina Valley in Canada to New Mexico.View the SourcePosidonia Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Posidonia Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Posidonia Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Posidonia Shale (German: Posidonienschiefer, also called Schistes Bitumineux in Luxembourg), is an Early Jurassic (Toarcian) geological formation in Germany, northern Switzerland, northwestern Austria, southern Luxembourg and the Netherlands.View the SourceSan Rafael Swell (Wikipedia)Associated With: San Rafael Swell, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: San Rafael Swell, Lead, rock ShaleMeasuring approximately 75 by 40 miles (121 by 64 km), the swell consists of a giant dome-shaped anticline of sandstone, shale, and limestone that was pushed up during the Paleocene Laramide Orogeny 40-60 million years ago.View the SourceSanta Clara Valley (Wikipedia)Associated With: Santa Clara Valley, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Santa Clara Valley, Article text, rock ShaleThe underlying geology of the Santa Cruz Mountains was also formed by the sediment of the ancient seas, where marine shale points to Miocene origin.View the SourceSoom Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Soom Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Soom Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Soom Shale is a member of the Late Ordovician (Hirnantian) Cederberg Formation (Table Mountain Group) in South Africa, renowned for its remarkable preservation of soft-tissue in fossil material.View the SourceWinneshiek Shale (Wikipedia)Associated With: Winneshiek Shale, Lead, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Winneshiek Shale, Lead, rock ShaleThe Winneshiek Shale (originally the Winneshiek Lagerstätte) is a Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian-age) geological formation in Iowa.View the SourceWye Valley (Wikipedia)Associated With: Wye Valley, Article text, rock ShaleQuote, Associated With: Wye Valley, Article text, rock ShaleClose to Hereford, the geology of the area around the village of Woolhope is largely made up of Silurian limestones, shales and sandstones.View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. 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