A type of rock composed of common clay or mud.

A fine grained rock formed by the consolidation of clay or mud. Does not have a finely stratified or laminated structure.

A sedimentary rock made of layers of clay, mud or silt.

A sedimentary rock made up of clay-sized particles, typically fissile (fractures easily on bedding planes).

Fine grained, easily-split (fissile) sedimentary rock composed primarily of clay minerals and quartz. Early discoverers described the fossils of Fossil Lake as being in shale instead of limestone because shale is often used as a generic term to describe any fine-grained fissile sedimentary rock rather than to distinguish its mineralogy.

a fine-grained clastic sedimentary rock formed by the cementation of clay and /or silt.

A fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of silt and clay or mud. Shale is the most common sedimentary rock.

sedimentary rock composed of detrital sediment particles less than 0.004 millimeter in diameter. Shales tend to be red, brown, black, or gray, and usually originate in relatively still waters.

A fine-grained clastic sedimentary rock formed by consolidation of clay and mud.

A fine-grained, detrital, sedimentary rock, formed by the compaction and lithification of clay, silt, or mud. It has a finely laminated (composed of layers) structure, that gives it a fissility, or tendency to split along bedding planes. Shale is well indurated, but not as hard as argillite or slate.

A laminated sediment composed predominantly of clay-sized particles.

An oil bearing rock found at Kimmeridge in Dorset. Pieces turned on a lathe to make bracelets and bangles.

Fine-grained red, brown, black or grey laminated sedimentary rock formed by the compaction of clay or mud.

This is related to the word "scale", as in "fish scales", because shale occurs in flat layers. The name comes from an old German word meaning "shell." Shale is sedimentary rock; that is, it is formed from layers of mud which have been under pressure for a long time.

Red to brown, locally gray to green, extremely fine-grained, strongly layered sedimentary rock composed of clay minerals; occurs in the Central Lowlands.

A sedimentary rock that forms when mud or clay turns to stone.

Sedimentary rock formed by the hardening of a clay deposit.

sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of a clay or mud and having the tendency to split into thin layers.

a very fine-grained, thinly layered sedimentary rock composed of clay and/or mud grains less than 1/256 mm in size. Shales break easily along their layering, especially along weathered surfaces. They feel smooth to the touch, not gritty.

Fine-grained sedimentary rock formed from the accumulation of clay or mud particles, with a strong fissility along one plane.

A fine-grained clastic sedimentary rock formed from the lithification of clay- and silt-sized particles, i.e., mud. Shales typically display fissility, the ability to be broken along thin subparallel surfaces. Mudstones are similar to shales except that they tend to be more massive, i.e., they do not display fissility.

A sedimentary rock composed of silt and clay size particles. Shales tend to break and separate into thin layers.

n: a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed mostly of consolidated clay or mud. Shale is the most frequently occurring sedimentary rock.

A fine-grained detrital sedimentary rock in the argillaceous family of rocks formed from clay. It is usually not a pure rock because of its origin of compression or cementation.

a fine-grained sedimentary rock formed by compaction of clay, silt or mud, that splits readily along planar surfaces.

Sedimentary rock composed of silt and clay sized particles, weakly cemented.

A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed by the compaction of clay, silt, or mud. It has a finely laminated structure, which gives it a fissility along which the rock splits readily.

a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition of successive layers of clay

Sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of mud or silt.

The consolidated equivalent of clay. (See particle-size classification).

A compacted sedimentary rock composed of detrital grains of clay and silt, finer than sandstone. Because they are tightly compacted and have virtually no permeability, shales may act as seals to prevent the migration, and permit the entrapment of, hydrocarbons.

A fine grained argillaceous sedimentary rock consisting of clays.

A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed by the compression of clay, silt or mud into thin layers that break parallel to the bedding.

A laminated sediment, in which the constituent particles are predominantly of the clay grade.

A sedimentary rock composed of particles smaller than sand, such as clay and mud.

A rock of clay origin, easily split into layers. Occasionally found in gravestones.

A type of sedimentary rock, formed by the accumulation of clay particles.

a sedimentary rock, primarily composed of clay-sized grains, that readily splits along bedding surfaces

A clastic rock composed mainly of clay grains of microscopic size. Technically, it is called shale if it is fissile; otherwise it is called mudstone.

A fine-grained detrital sedimentary rock, formed by the consolidation, especially compression of clay, silt or mud

rhymes with tail): flaky rock usually formed from clay or mud

Sedimentary rock derived from mud. Commonly finely laminated (bedded). Particles in shale are commonly clay minerals mixed with tiny grains of quartz eroded from pre-existing rocks. Shaley means like a shale or having some shale component, as in shaley sandstone.

A sedimentary rock formed by consolidation of clay or mud. A to F | G to L | M to R | S to Z

A finely-layered sedimentary rock made up of clay particles. These often weather and form vegetation-covered slopes.

Shale - A fine-grained sedimentary rock with particles consisting of silt and clay.

a sedimentary rock formed from the accumulation of clays and silts and lain down in thin regular plates.

A fine-grained, layered sedimentary rock formed from mud or clay.

Fine-grained sedimentary rock characterized by finely-laminated structure.

Sedimentary rock formed from compressed clay.

Very fine-grained sedimentary rock that breaks into thin sheets.

Fissile sedimentary rock formed from mud (silt and clay). Where organic compounds are abundant, the shale is black whereas lower organic content results in lighter colors. See: sedimentary rock

a dark, fine-grained sedimentary rock that usually forms in deep, calm water.

A type of sedimentary rock, usually grey, formed from mud or fined grain silt, deposited in thin, easily fractured and porous layers. Because of its ease of erosion and common presence, shale contributes greatly to the characteristic NY state waterfall look.

A fine grained, sedimentary rock with layered bedding composed of mostly clay minerals.

a fossil rock that is formed by the consolidation of clay, mud, or silt, has a finely layered structure, and is composed of minerals essentially unaltered since deposition

Clay which has been subjected to high pressures until it has hardened.

Finely laminated, clayey rock with about 1/2 silt.

a thinly laminated sedimentary rock made of tiny clay-sized sedimentary particles.

(210) - Sedimentary rock consisting of very fine-grained particles ( 0.004 mm) composed chiefly of clay minerals. It is distinguished from mudstone, by its ability to split into thin layers.

A type of rock that is formed from clay that has been pressed into thin sheets.

a type of sedimentary rock made of clay particles cemented together and which usually can be made to split into thin slabs (see: slate).

A sedimentary rock composed of layers of claylike fine-grained sediments.

A soft type of rock that often breaks into big flat pieces. Shale is formed when mud is pressed into rock over millions of years.

a claystone exhibiting a finely laminated structure.

A fine grained, thinly laminated or fissile, detrital sedimentary rock formed by the compaction and consolidation of clay, silt, or mud. The composition is characterized by an appreciable content of clay minerals, or derivatives from clay minerals, and a high content of detrital quartz.

Rock that is often impervious to water (will not allow water to move through it) but rather soft, brittle, and easily eroded. Shale is the result of compaction of silt or mud. Much of the Permian and Pennsylvanian strata in Kansas consists of various shales, often brightly colored.

Sedimentary rock composed of clay, mud, and silt grains which easily splits into layers.

A type of sedimentary rock made from very small particles, (less than 0.004 mm in diameter), which form closely spaced layers. Shale splits easily along these layers.

A fine-grained, sedimentary rock composed of clays and other finely sized mineral particles.

A finely grained, thinly bedded rock formed by the hardening of clay, which splits easily into layers.

A very fine-grained, laminated, clastic sedimentary rock made up of clay-sized particles, none of which are larger than 4 microns. Shale tends to break along parallel planes.

a fine-grained sedimentary rock, formed from hardened clay, mud, or silt in thin layers which split easily. [AHDOS

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. It is characterized by thin laminae breaking with an irregular curving fracture, often splintery and usually parallel to the often-indistinguishable bedding plane. This property is called fissility.