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Hornfels vs Schist


Schist vs Hornfels


Definition

Definition
Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock  
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  

History
  
  

Origin
New Zealand  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From German which means hornstone  
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Granular, Platy  
Foliated, Platy  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull  
Layered and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, 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  
-  

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork  
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  

Types

Types
Biotite hornfels  
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
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.  
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
Andalusite  
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  

Compound Content
Fe, Mg  
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
2-3  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
-  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
5.80 N/mm2  
99+
150.00 N/mm2  
22

Cleavage
Perfect  
Slaty  

Toughness
-  
1.5  

Specific Gravity
3.4-3.9  
2.5-2.9  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
0.25-0.30 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand  
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  

Africa
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa  
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  

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

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador  
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Hornfels vs Schist 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 Hornfels and Schist Reserves. Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. 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 Hornfels vs Schist information and Hornfels vs Schist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Hornfels vs Schist 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. Hornfels vs Schist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Hornfels and Properties of Schist. Learn more about Hornfels vs Schist in the next section. The interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Hornfels and Schist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Hornfels in construction industry include For road aggregate, Roadstone and that of Schist include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Hornfels and Schist

Here you can know more about Hornfels and Schist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Hornfels and Schist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite and mineral content of Schist includes Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Hornfels vs Schist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors whereas, Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. Appearance of Hornfels is Dull and that of Schist is Layered and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Hornfels vs Schist. The hardness of Hornfels is 2-3 and that of Schist is 3.5-4. The types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels whereas types of Schist are Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Hornfels is while that of Schist is white. The specific heat capacity of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Schist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.

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