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Argillite
Argillite

Slate
Slate



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Argillite
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Argillite vs Slate

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Definition

Definition

Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate
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

-
England

Discoverer

Unknown
Abraham Gottlob Werner

Etymology

From Latin Argilla (clay) and -ite in English which became agrilla+ -ite = Argillite
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)

Class

Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Clastic, Polished
Foliated

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Rough and Dull
Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
As Dimension Stone

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Fire resistant, Used to manufracture paperweights and bookends
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

Metamorphic rock
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate

Features

Is one of the oldest rock
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

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-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Present
Absent

Formation

Formation

An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock mainly composed of clay particles which forms from lithified muds which contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles.
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

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon

Compound Content

Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

2-33-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal to Uneven
Splintery

Streak

White to Grey
Light to dark brown

Porosity

Highly Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Waxy and Dull
Dull

Compressive Strength

-30.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
Slaty

Toughness

2.6
1.2

Specific Gravity

2.56-2.682.65-2.8
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.54-2.66 g/cm32.6-2.8 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.87 kJ/Kg K0.76 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
China, India, Turkey

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
-

Europe

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

Others

-
Arctic

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia
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Argillite vs Slate Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Argillite and Slate Reserves. Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate. 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. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Argillite vs Slate information and Argillite vs Slate characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Argillite vs Slate Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Argillite vs Slate characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Argillite and Properties of Slate. Learn more about Argillite vs Slate in the next section. The interior uses of Argillite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Slate include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads. Due to some exceptional properties of Argillite and Slate, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Argillite in construction industry include Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills. and that of Slate include As dimension stone.

More about Argillite and Slate

Here you can know more about Argillite and Slate. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Argillite and Slate consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Argillite includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz and mineral content of Slate includes Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Argillite vs Slate, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Argillite is available in dark grey to black, pink, red, white colors whereas, Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. Appearance of Argillite is Rough and Dull and that of Slate is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Argillite vs Slate. The hardness of Argillite is 2-3 and that of Slate is 3-4. The types of Argillite are Metamorphic rock whereas types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Argillite is white to grey while that of Slate is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Argillite is 0.87 kJ/Kg K and that of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Argillite is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.