Definition
Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight
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
Origin
Southern Alps, France
England
Discoverer
Dolomieu
Unknown
Etymology
From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Color
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Glassy or Pearly
Dull
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
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, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
As Dimension Stone
Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
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
Boninite and Jasperoid
Not Available
Features
Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Formation
Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.
Slate is a low grade metamorphic rock that is generally formed by metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, under relatively low pressure and temperature conditions.
Mineral Content
Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon
Compound Content
NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Not Applicable
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
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
Vitreous and Pearly
Dull
Specific Gravity
2.8-3
2.65-2.8
Transparency
Transparent to Translucent
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.6-2.8 g/cm3
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India
China, India, Turkey
Africa
Morocco, Namibia
Not Yet Found
Europe
Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Arctic
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Mexico, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula
Not Yet Found
Dolomite 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. Dolomite vs Slate characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Dolomite and Properties of Slate. Learn more about Dolomite vs Slate in the next section. The interior uses of Dolomite 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 Dolomite and Slate, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Dolomite in construction industry include 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, Production of glass and ceramics, Serves as an oil and gas reservoir rock and that of Slate include As dimension stone.
More about Dolomite and Slate
Here you can know more about Dolomite and Slate. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Dolomite and Slate consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Dolomite includes Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides 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 Dolomite vs Slate, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Dolomite 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. Appearance of Dolomite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Slate is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Dolomite vs Slate. The hardness of Dolomite is 3.5-4 and that of Slate is 3-4. The types of Dolomite are Boninite and Jasperoid whereas types of Slate are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Dolomite is white while that of Slate is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Dolomite is 0.92 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.Dolomite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.