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alum shale

noun
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variants: or alum slate or less commonly alum schist

Definition of alum shale

: a shale or clay slate originally containing pyrite and after weathering containing aluminum sulfate formed by the action of sulfuric acid from the decomposition of the pyrite on the aluminous materials of the rock

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First Known Use of alum shale

1737, in the meaning defined above

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Cite this Entry

“Alum shale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alum%20shale. Accessed 23 Jun. 2021.

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