Banded iron formation

Slate

Banded iron formation and Slate

Banded iron formation

Slate

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Definition

Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age

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

Western Australia, Minnesota

England

Discoverer

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Abraham Gottlob Werner

Etymology

From its formation process

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Banded, Trellis

Foliated

Color

Red, Reddish Brown

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

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

Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Office Buildings

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork

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

Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite

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

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.

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

Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz

Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon

Compound Content

Fe, Iron(III) Oxide, 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

Chemical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5.5-63-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Large and Coarse Grained

Very fine-grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Splintery

Streak

White

Light to dark brown

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Earthy

Dull

Compressive Strength

220.00 N/mm²30.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.5

1.2

Specific Gravity

5.0-5.32.65-2.8

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

Density

-9999 g/cm³2.6-2.8 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

3.20 kJ/Kg K0.76 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

China, India, Turkey

Africa

Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Arctic

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

USA

South America

Bolivia, Brazil

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

All about Banded iron formation and Slate Properties

Know all about Banded iron formation and Slate properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Banded iron formation belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Banded iron formation is Banded, Trellis whereas that of Slate is Foliated. Banded iron formation appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Slate appears Dull. The luster of Banded iron formation is earthy while that of Slate is dull. Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors whereas Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Banded iron formation are as a touchstone, cemetery markers, creating artwork 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.