Amphibolite

Schist

Amphibolite and Schist

Amphibolite

Schist

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Definition

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation

History

Origin

Discoverer

Alexandre Brongniart

Unknown

Etymology

From Amphibole + -ite

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Foliated, Platy

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Foliated

Layered and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Office Buildings

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Types

Hornblendite

Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.

Features

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

Schist formed by dynamic metamorphism at high temperatures and pressures that aligns the grains of mica, hornblende and other elongated minerals into thin layers.

Composition

Mineral Content

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-73.5-4

1 7

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Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular to Conchoidal

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Shiny

Compressive Strength

90.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.3

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.52.5-2.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.85-3.07 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.70 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Russia, Turkey

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, USA

Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA

South America

Brazil

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

South Australia, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Amphibolite and Schist Properties

Know all about Amphibolite and Schist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Amphibolite and Schist belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Amphibolite is Banded, Foliated, Massive whereas that of Schist is Foliated, Platy. Amphibolite appears Foliated and Schist appears Layered and Shiny. The luster of Amphibolite is vitreous to dull while that of Schist is shiny. Amphibolite is available in black, brown, green, grey colors whereas Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. The commercial uses of Amphibolite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork and that of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates.