Schist

Amphibolite

Schist and Amphibolite

Schist

Amphibolite

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Definition

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation

Amphibolite can be defined as a granular metamorphic rock which mainly consist of hornblende and plagioclase

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Alexandre Brongniart

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

From Amphibole + -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

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

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated, Platy

Banded, Foliated, Massive

Color

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

Black, Brown, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered and Shiny

Foliated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

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

Hornblendite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Schist formed by dynamic metamorphism at high temperatures and pressures that aligns the grains of mica, hornblende and other elongated minerals into thin layers.

Amphibolite is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock which forms by metamorphism of mafic igneous rocks like basalt and gabbro or from the metamorphism of clay-rich sedimentary rocks like marl or graywacke.

Composition

Mineral Content

Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc

Amphibole, Andalusite, Biotite, Calcite, Epidote, Garnet, Hornblade, Kyanite, Magnetite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Staurolite, Wollastonite

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46-7

1 7

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Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular to Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Vitreous to Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²90.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.5

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.5

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.85-3.07 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Russia, Turkey

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda

Europe

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

Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

South Australia, Western Australia

All about Schist and Amphibolite Properties

Know all about Schist and Amphibolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist and Amphibolite belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Amphibolite is Banded, Foliated, Massive. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Amphibolite appears Foliated. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Amphibolite is vitreous to dull. Schist and Amphibolite are available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Amphibolite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork.