Home
Compare Rocks


Carbonatite and Slate


Slate and Carbonatite


Definition

Definition
Carbonatite is intrusive or extrusive igneous rock which is defined by mineralogic composition, consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals   
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
Tanzania   
England   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From any intrusive igneous rock, having a majority of carbonate minerals   
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Granular, Poikiloblastic   
Foliated   

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

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated   
Dull   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Unknown, Unknown   
As Dimension Stone   

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux   
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
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock   
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Carbonatites are intrusive or extrusive igneous rocks which are defined by mineralogic composition consisting of greater than 50 percent carbonate minerals and are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.   
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
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite   
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon   

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide   
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   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3   
3-4   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Splintery   

Streak
White   
Light to dark brown   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Subvitreous to Dull   
Dull   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
30.00 N/mm2   
30

Cleavage
Not Available   
Slaty   

Toughness
1   
1.2   

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87   
2.65-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.84-2.86 g/cm3   
2.6-2.8 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.76 kJ/Kg K   
17

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
China, India, Turkey   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Not Yet Found   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom   

Others
Greenland   
Arctic   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
USA   

South America
Brazil   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand   
Not Yet Found   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Carbonatite and Slate Properties

Know all about Carbonatite and Slate properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Carbonatite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Carbonatite is Granular, Poikiloblastic whereas that of Slate is Foliated. Carbonatite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated and Slate appears Dull. The luster of Carbonatite is subvitreous to dull while that of Slate is dull. Carbonatite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white colors whereas Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Carbonatite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux 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.

Compare Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks