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Marble
Marble

Slate
Slate



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Marble vs Slate

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Definition

Definition

Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time
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

Egypt
England

Discoverer

Unknown
Abraham Gottlob Werner

Etymology

From the Greek marmaros, shining stone and also from the English word marmoreal meaning marble-like
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Granular
Foliated

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Pink, White
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue

Maintenance

More
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Veined and Shiny
Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
As Dimension Stone

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Laboratory bench tops, Paper Industry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Whiting material in toothpaste, paint and paper
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

Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Buland Darwaza in Agra, India, Capitol Hill Building, Washington DC, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, India, Ephesus in Turkey, Faisal Mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Humayun's Tomb in Delhi, India, Jama Masjid in Delhi, India, Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India, Louvre in Paris, France, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, Parthenon in Greece, Potala Palace in Lahasa, Tibet, Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Qutb Minar in India, Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Vatican City, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower of Pisa, Italy, Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, India, Washington Monument, US
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Bust of Artemis, Elephanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, Lincoln Memorial in America
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Absent

Formation

Formation

Marble is a metamorphic rock produced from limestone in the earth crust. It is formed by the metamorphism of limestone.
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

Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-43-4
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium Grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

-
Splintery

Streak

White
Light to dark brown

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous
Dull

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm230.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Perfect
Slaty

Toughness

-
1.2

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.872.65-2.8
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.4-2.7 g/cm32.6-2.8 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.88 kJ/Kg K0.76 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India
China, India, Turkey

Africa

Namibia
-

Europe

Italy, Spain
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

Others

-
Arctic

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

-
USA

South America

-
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria
-

Marble 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 Marble and Slate Reserves. Marble is a non-foliated metamorphic rock which is composed of recrystallized carbonate which is formed when limestone is exposed to high temperatures and pressures over a long time. 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 Marble vs Slate information and Marble vs Slate characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Marble 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. Marble vs Slate characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Marble and Properties of Slate. Learn more about Marble vs Slate in the next section. The interior uses of Marble include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads 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 Marble and Slate, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Marble in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Slate include As dimension stone.

More about Marble and Slate

Here you can know more about Marble and Slate. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Marble and Slate consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Marble includes Garnet, Graphite, Olivine, Pyrite, Quartz 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 Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Marble vs Slate, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Marble is available in black, blue, brown, 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 Marble is Veined and Shiny and that of Slate is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Marble vs Slate. Hardness of Marble and Slate is 3-4. The types of Marble are Breccia Marble, Carrara Marble, Calacatta marble, Cultured Marble, Polished Marble, Honed Marble, Sand Marble 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 Marble is white while that of Slate is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Marble is 0.88 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.Marble is heat resistant whereas Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.