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Anthracite and Slate


Slate and Anthracite


Definition

Definition
Anthracite is a type of sedimentary rock which is hard and is variety of coal that has high luster  
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism  

History
  
  

Origin
Pennsylvania, U.S.  
England  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Abraham Gottlob Werner  

Etymology
From Greek anthrakites, from anthrax, anthrak meaning coal  
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy  
Foliated  

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey  
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled  
Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
-  
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads  

Exterior Uses
-  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production  
As Dimension Stone  

Medical Industry
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Manufacture of Aspirins  
-  

Antiquity Uses
-  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry  
Blackboards, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Standard material for the bed of Billiard table, Standard material for the beds of Pool and Snooker table, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  

Types

Types
Semi-anthracite and Meta-anthracite  
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate  

Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel  
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Anthracite forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. When plant debris dies and falls into the swamp, the standing water of the swamp protects it from decay.   
Slate is a low grade metamorphic rock that is generally formed by metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, under relatively low pressure and temperature conditions.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals  
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon  

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
-  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
-  
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5  
3-4  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Splintery  

Streak
Black  
Light to dark brown  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
-  
30.00 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
-  
Slaty  

Toughness
-  
1.2  

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4  
2.65-2.8  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
1.25-2.5 g/cm3  
2.6-2.8 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K  
4
0.76 kJ/Kg K  
19

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Water Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam  
China, India, Turkey  

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania  
-  

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom  
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
Arctic  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA  
USA  

South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria  
-  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Anthracite and Slate Properties

Know all about Anthracite and Slate properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Anthracite and Slate belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Anthracite is Amorphous, Glassy whereas that of Slate is Foliated. Anthracite appears Veined or Pebbled and Slate appears Dull. The luster of Anthracite is shiny while that of Slate is dull. Anthracite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Anthracite are alumina refineries, electricity generation, liquid fuel, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, paper industry and that of Slate are blackboards, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, standard material for the bed of billiard table, standard material for the beds of pool and snooker table, tombstones, used in aquariums, writing slates.

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