Fell on a shale bed and now I doubt rock strength

I was out collecting samples and took a tumble on a shale layer. It broke apart like dry crackers under my weight. My friends thought it was hilarious, but it made me question things. I honestly think shale is weaker than most geologists admit. They call it a solid rock, but my experience says otherwise.

4 comments

4 Comments

olivia_lopez981mo ago

Think about shale cracking along its layers so easily. Standard rock tests miss how weak it is in real life.

rodriguez.mia1mo agoProlific Poster

My laminate floor chipped from a dropped mug just like your shale cracked. It's the same story with stuff that looks solid but has weak layers. We build on shaky ground all the time and act surprised when it fails.

miles_robinson201mo ago

Shale can trick you... @olivia_lopez98 is right, so test it with a hammer first.

-1

felixhenderson1mo ago

Remember my buddy who tried to build a fire pit with shale? Looked perfect until the first real heat. Whole thing just split apart like a stack of plates.