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Pumice vs Slate


Slate vs Pumice


Definition

Definition
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals  
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
Spain  
England  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Abraham Gottlob Werner  

Etymology
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex  
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)  

Class
Igneous Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
-  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Vesicular  
Foliated  

Color
Beige, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey  
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Vesicular  
Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Powder  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks  
As Dimension Stone  

Medical Industry
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums  
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
Scoria  
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate  

Features
Host Rock for Lead  
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.  
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
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica  
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon  

Compound Content
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6  
3-4  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
Planar  
Splintery  

Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey  
Light to dark brown  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Earthy  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
51.20 N/mm2  
38
30.00 N/mm2  
99+

Cleavage
Perfect  
Slaty  

Toughness
3  
1.2  

Specific Gravity
2.86  
2.65-2.8  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
0.25-0.3 g/cm3  
2.6-2.8 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.87 kJ/Kg K  
14
0.76 kJ/Kg K  
19

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia  
China, India, Turkey  

Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania  
-  

Europe
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey  
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
Arctic  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA  
USA  

South America
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia  
-  

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Pumice 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 Pumice and Slate Reserves. Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. 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 Pumice vs Slate information and Pumice vs Slate characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Pumice 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. Pumice vs Slate characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pumice and Properties of Slate. Learn more about Pumice vs Slate in the next section. The interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration 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 Pumice and Slate, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pumice in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks and that of Slate include As dimension stone.

More about Pumice and Slate

Here you can know more about Pumice and Slate. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pumice and Slate consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica 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 Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pumice vs Slate, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pumice is available in beige, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors whereas, Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. Appearance of Pumice is Vesicular and that of Slate is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pumice vs Slate. The hardness of Pumice is 6 and that of Slate is 3-4. The types of Pumice are Scoria 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 Pumice is white, greenish white or grey while that of Slate is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Pumice is 0.87 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.Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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