Is marcellus shale a mineral?

Question

Is marcellus shale a mineral?

Answer 1

No, it is a type of rock made up of minerals.

Answer 2

The Devonian age Marcellus Formation (abbr. Dm), also classified as the Marcellus Subgroup of the Hamilton Group (Dh), Marcellus Member of the Romney Formation, or simply the Marcellus Shale (Dms), is a mapped sedimentary bedrock unit in eastern North America. Named for an outcrop found near the town of Marcellus, New York during a geological survey in 1839,it extends throughout much of the Appalachian Basin. The energy development community is developing its subsurface layers deep beneath the Allegheny Plateau as a significant source of largely untapped natural gas reserves located near the high-demand markets along the East Coast of the United States

The Marcellus is the lowest unit of the Hamilton Group, and is divided into several named sub-units. Although black shale is the dominant lithology, there are lighter shales and interbedded limestone layers that geologists attribute to tectonic activity during its deposition. The black shale was deposited almost 400 million years ago in deep water devoid of oxygen, making it only sparsely fossiliferous. Most fossils are contained in the limestones, and the fossil record in these layers provide important paleontologal insights on faunal turnovers. The black shales also contain iron ore, uranium and pyrite, and the fissile shales are easily eroded, presenting civil and environmental engineering challenges

The Marcellus Formation is a radioactive, carbonaceous black shale that may contain limestone beds and pyrite and siderite concentrations. The iron pyrite (FeS2) is especially abundant near the base and the upper contacts of limestones, but framboidal microcrystals and euhedral crystals of pyrite occur throughout the organic rich deposits. The Marcellus is uraniferousand the radioactive decay of the uranium-238 (238U) makes it a source rock for radioactive radon gas