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What is it and where is it formed? Shale
is a soft
sedimentary rock. It starts out as clay and then
erosion moves it from place to place. It falls into streams and
forms a layer. Lots of layers are added on top of the first
layer. The bottom layer is like a football player who has been
tackled by ten players and is on the bottom of the pile. He is
being pressed down and lots of pressure is on him. The bottom
layer of clay is being pressed down by the weight of the layers
on top. The clay hardens and forms layers of shale. Some shale
becomes limestone and some changes into
coal depending on what
minerals
are in them. Shale that is formed with heat and pressure becomes
slate, a
metamorphic rock.
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How and where is it mined? Shale is mined using quarrying and open pit mining. It is mined in the western United States.
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What is it used for? Shale is used in cement and bricks, concrete, and road construction, and ceramic products.
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Interesting Information:
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Some shale has oil in it and could be used for fuel. Right now it costs too much money to get the oil out of the shale so it isn’t used that way.
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Lots of time, shale will have fossils and animal tracks in it from a long time ago.
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