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Dunite and Schist


Schist and Dunite


Definition

Definition
Dunite is a green to brownish coarse-grained igneous rock mainly consisting of olivine   
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation   

History
  
  

Origin
New Zealand   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Ferdinand von Hochstetter   
Unknown   

Etymology
From the name of Dun Mountain, New Zealand, + -ite1   
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split   

Class
Igneous Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Plutonic   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Phaneritic   
Foliated, Platy   

Color
Dark Greenish - Grey   
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Rough and Shiny   
Layered and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Source of Chromite, Platinum, Nickel and Garnet, Source of Diamonds   
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.   

Features
Constitutes upper part of the Earth's mantle, Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock   
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Dunite is a plutonic ultramafic igneous rock consisting almost m olivine. It can be formed in two ways.   
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
Amphibole, Chromite, Garnet, Magnesium, Olivine, Phlogopite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene   
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc   

Compound Content
Ca, CaO, Fe, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium, Titanium Dioxide   
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

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

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4   
3.5-4   

Grain Size
Coarse Grained   
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Irregular   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Shiny   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
107.55 N/mm2   
19
Not Available   

Cleavage
Imperfect   
Slaty   

Toughness
2.1   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
3-3.01   
2.5-2.9   

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.84-2.85 g/cm3   
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
1.25 kJ/Kg K   
6
Not Available   

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey   
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   

Africa
Morocco, South Africa   
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela   
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, USA   
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA   

South America
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela   
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia   
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Dunite and Schist Properties

Know all about Dunite and Schist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Dunite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Dunite is Phaneritic whereas that of Schist is Foliated, Platy. Dunite appears Rough and Shiny and Schist appears Layered and Shiny. The luster of Dunite and Schist is shiny. Dunite is available in dark greenish - grey colors whereas Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. The commercial uses of Dunite are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, source of chromite, platinum, nickel and garnet, source of diamonds and that of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates.

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