Tonstein
A rock subtype
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About Tonstein
A very fine grained, compact sedimentary rock that is composed mainly of kaolinite or, less commonly, other clay minerals such as montmorillonite and illite.
A compact argillaceous rock containing the clay mineral kaolinite in a variety of forms together with some detrital and carbonaceous material, commonly occurring as thin bands in Carboniferous coal seams (or locally in the roof of a seam), often used as an aid in correlating European strata of Westphalian age.
Also considered by some workers to be synonymous with shale.
A compact argillaceous rock containing the clay mineral kaolinite in a variety of forms together with some detrital and carbonaceous material, commonly occurring as thin bands in Carboniferous coal seams (or locally in the roof of a seam), often used as an aid in correlating European strata of Westphalian age.
Also considered by some workers to be synonymous with shale.
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
50901
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:50901:1
Classification of Tonstein
Sub-divisions of Tonstein
- Tonstein
Mineralogy of Tonstein
Essential minerals - these are minerals that are required within the classification of this rock:
| Kaolinite | Al2(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
Non-essential minerals - these minerals are common, sometimes major components, but are not always present:
| Illite | K0.65Al2.0[Al0.65Si3.35O10](OH)2 |
| Montmorillonite | (Na,Ca)0.33(Al,Mg)2(Si4O10)(OH)2 · nH2O |
Internet Links for Tonstein
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-50901.html
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Please feel free to link to this page.
References for Tonstein
Reference List:
Zhang, Zhihui; Wang, Bing; Lv, Dawei; Hower, James C.; Raji, Munira; Ge, Dongfeng; Zheng, Guibo; Guo, Yuanchen; Wang, Luojing; Li, Zekuan; et al. (2026) Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of genetically distinct partings from the lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation, Erlian Basin. Ore Geology Reviews, 194. p.107368. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2026.107368
Rudý Říjen mine, Heřmanice, Ostrava, Ostrava-City District, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic