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Dolomite vs Slate


Slate vs Dolomite


Definition

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  

History
  
  

Origin
Southern Alps, France  
England  

Discoverer
Dolomieu  
Abraham Gottlob Werner  

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  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Earthy  
Foliated  

Color
Black, Brown, 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
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Glassy or Pearly  
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
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  

Other Architectural Uses
-  
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, 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  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

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

Types
Boninite and Jasperoid  
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate  

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
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Present  
Absent  

Formation

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.  

Composition
  
  

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  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
No  
Yes  

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

Erosion
No  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
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
Vitreous and Pearly  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
140.00 N/mm2  
23
30.00 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
Perfect  
Slaty  

Toughness
1  
1.2  

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  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10
0.76 kJ/Kg K  
19

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India  
China, India, Turkey  

Africa
Morocco, Namibia  
-  

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

Others
-  
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  
-  

Definition >>
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Dolomite 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 Dolomite and Slate Reserves. 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. 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 Dolomite vs Slate information and Dolomite vs Slate characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

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, 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 Phyllite, Schist, and Slate. 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.

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