Felsite

Schist

Felsite and Schist

Felsite

Schist

Add ⊕

Definition

Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From English feldspar and -ite

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Foliated, Platy

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Layered and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Mirror, Jewelry

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Types

Igneous rock

Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

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

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.53.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Shiny

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.72.5-2.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.70 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Kenya

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

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

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Felsite and Schist Properties

Know all about Felsite and Schist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Felsite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Felsite is Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous whereas that of Schist is Foliated, Platy. Felsite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Schist appears Layered and Shiny. The luster of Felsite is vitreous while that of Schist is shiny. Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. The commercial uses of Felsite are mirror, jewelry and that of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates.