Schist

Basalt

Schist and Basalt

Schist

Basalt

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Definition

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

Basalt is a common extrusive igneous rock formed by the rapid cooling of basaltic lava exposed at or very near the surface of Earth

History

Origin

Egypt

Discoverer

Unknown

Georgius Agricola

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

From Late Latin Basaltes (variant of basanites ), very hard stone, which was imported from Ancient Greek Basanites

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

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

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated, Platy

Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular

Color

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

Black, Brown, Light to Dark Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered and Shiny

Dull and Soft

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing, Whetstones

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Cutting Tool, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Used in aquariums

Types

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

Alkaline Basalt, Boninite, High Alumina Basalt, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB), Tholeiitic Basalt, Basaltic trachyandesite, Mugearite and Shoshonite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean, Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, India

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.

Basalt forms when lava reaches the Earth's surface near an active volcano. The temperature of lava is between 1100 to 1250° C when it gets to the surface.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene

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

Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²37.40 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.5

2.3

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.8-3

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.9-3.1 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

India, Russia

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

South Africa

Europe

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

Iceland

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

All about Schist and Basalt Properties

Know all about Schist and Basalt properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Basalt belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Basalt is Glassy, Massive, Porphyritic, Scoriaceous, Vesicular. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Basalt appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Basalt is . Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Basalt is available in black, brown, light to dark grey colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Basalt are an oil and gas reservoir, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, used in aquariums.