Quartzite

Schist

Quartzite vs Schist

Quartzite

Schist

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1 Definition

1.1 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

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From quartz + -ite

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

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

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Foliated, Granular

Foliated, Platy

2.2 Color

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

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

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Lustrous

Layered and Shiny

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 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

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 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

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

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

4.2 Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

Not Yet Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

Not Yet Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 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.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 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

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

6-73.5-4

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Vitreous

Shiny

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

115.00 N/mm²NA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Indiscernible

Slaty

6.1.9 Toughness

1.9

1.5

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.6-2.82.5-2.9

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Transparent to Translucent

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.32-2.42 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

0.75 kJ/Kg KNA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

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

7.1.2 Africa

Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

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

7.1.4 Others

Greenland

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Bahamas, Canada, USA

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

7.2.2 South America

Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

Quartzite 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 Quartzite and Schist Reserves. 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. 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 Quartzite vs Schist information and Quartzite vs Schist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Quartzite and Schist

Here you can know more about Quartzite and Schist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Quartzite and Schist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Quartzite includes Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz 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 Quartzite vs Schist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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. Appearance of Quartzite is Lustrous and that of Schist is Layered and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Quartzite vs Schist. The hardness of Quartzite is 6-7 and that of Schist is 3.5-4. The types of Quartzite are Not Available 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 Quartzite and Schist is white. The specific heat capacity of Quartzite is 0.75 kJ/Kg K and that of Schist is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Quartzite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Schist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.