Quartzite

Schist

Quartzite and Schist

Quartzite

Schist

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Definition

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone

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 quartz + -ite

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

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

Texture

Foliated, Granular

Foliated, Platy

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Light Grey, Purple, White, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Lustrous

Layered and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Types

Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite

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

Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.

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

Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

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, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6-73.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Shiny

Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Indiscernible

Slaty

Toughness

1.9

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.82.5-2.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.75 kJ/Kg K0.70 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey

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

Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

England, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, United Kingdom

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

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Bahamas, 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, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Quartzite and Schist Properties

Know all about Quartzite and Schist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Quartzite and Schist belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Quartzite is Foliated, Granular whereas that of Schist is Foliated, Platy. Quartzite appears Lustrous and Schist appears Layered and Shiny. The luster of Quartzite is vitreous while that of Schist is shiny. Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors whereas Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. The commercial uses of Quartzite are an oil and gas reservoir, as armour rock for sea walls, cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, in aquifers, laboratory bench tops, petroleum reservoirs, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo), tombstones, used in aquariums and that of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates.