Definition
Gabbro is an intrusive igneous rock which is chemically equivalent to plutonic Basalt
  
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
  
History
  
  
Origin
Germany
  
Unknown
  
Discoverer
Christian Leopold von Buch
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From Latin glaber bare, smooth, bald
  
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
  
Class
Igneous Rocks
  
Metamorphic Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard 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
Phaneritic
  
Foliated, Platy
  
Color
Dark Grey to Black
  
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
Yes
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
Yes
  
No
  
Appearance
Veined and Shiny
  
Layered and Shiny
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
  
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
  
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
  
Not Yet Used
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
  
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
  
Artifacts
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
  
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
  
Types
Not Available
  
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
  
Features
Smooth to touch
  
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
Not Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Not Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Absent
  
Formation
Gabbro, a mafic rock, forms due to cooling and crystallization of magma underneath Earth's surface.
  
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
Augite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene
  
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
  
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
  
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
Yes
  
No
  
Types of Metamorphism
Impact Metamorphism
  
Not Applicable
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Chemical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
7
  
3.5-4
  
Grain Size
Coarse Grained
  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
Black
  
White
  
Porosity
Highly Porous
  
Highly Porous
  
Luster
Not Available
  
Shiny
  
Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm
2
  
7
Not Available
  
Cleavage
Not Available
  
Slaty
  
Toughness
1.6
  
1.5
  
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
  
2.5-2.9
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.7-3.3 g/cm3
  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
  
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
India, Russia
  
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
  
Africa
South Africa
  
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
  
Europe
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
  
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
  
Others
Greenland
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
Canada, USA
  
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
  
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
  
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New Zealand, Queensland
  
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland