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Coal vs Schist


Schist vs Coal


Definition

Definition
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds  
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  

History
  
  

Origin
USA  
Unknown  

Discoverer
John Peter Salley  
Unknown  

Etymology
From the Old English term col, which has meant mineral of fossilized carbon since the 13th century  
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

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

Texture

Texture
Amorphous, Glassy  
Foliated, Platy  

Color
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey  
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Veined or Pebbled  
Layered and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Not Yet Used  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
Not Yet Used  
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry  
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  

Types

Types
Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite  
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  

Features
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel  
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Sculpture
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Pictographs
Not Used  
Used  

Petroglyphs
Not Used  
Used  

Figurines
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Fossils
Present  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Coal forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment which is buried by sediments such as mud or sand and then compacted to form coal.  
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
Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon  
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  

Compound Content
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur  
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  
Not Applicable  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
No  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-1.5  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
Black  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic  
Shiny  

Cleavage
Non-Existent  
Slaty  

Toughness
Not Available  
1.5  

Specific Gravity
1.1-1.4  
2.5-2.9  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
1100-1400 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.32 kJ/Kg K  
4
Not Available  

Resistance
Heat Resistant  
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam  
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  

Africa
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania  
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom  
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela  
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria  
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  

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Coal vs Schist 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 Coal and Schist Reserves. Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers called coal beds. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. 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 Coal vs Schist information and Coal vs Schist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Coal vs Schist 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. Coal vs Schist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Coal and Properties of Schist. Learn more about Coal vs Schist in the next section. The interior uses of Coal include Not yet used whereas the interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Coal and Schist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Coal in construction industry include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production and that of Schist include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Coal and Schist

Here you can know more about Coal and Schist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Coal and Schist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Coal includes Analcime, Apatite, Barite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite, Chlorite, Chromite, Clausthalite, Clay Minerals, Crandallite Group, Dolomite, Feldspar, Galena, Gypsum, Marcasite, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Siderite, Sphalerite, Zircon and mineral content of Schist includes Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Coal vs Schist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Coal is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors whereas, Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. Appearance of Coal is Veined or Pebbled and that of Schist is Layered and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Coal vs Schist. The hardness of Coal is 1-1.5 and that of Schist is 3.5-4. The types of Coal are Peat, Lignite, Sub-Bituminous Coal, Bituminous Coal, Anthracite, Graphite whereas types of Schist are Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Coal is black while that of Schist is white. The specific heat capacity of Coal is 1.32 kJ/Kg K and that of Schist is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Coal is heat resistant whereas Schist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.

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