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Schist and Greywacke


Greywacke and Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay  

History
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Clastic  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used  
Curbing, Whetstones  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  
Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones  

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  
Not Available  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Sculpture
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable  
Data Not Available  

Pictographs
Used  
Not Used  

Petroglyphs
Used  
Not Used  

Figurines
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

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.  
Graywacke rock is a type of sedimentary rock, which is also known as immature sandstone, which is indurated, dark grey and consisting of poorly sorted angular to sub-angular, sand-sized grains.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
6-7  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Angular and Fine  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Dull  

Cleavage
Slaty  
Perfect  

Toughness
1.5  
2.6  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.2-2.8  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.6-2.61 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Greenland  

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  
New South Wales, New Zealand  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Schist and Greywacke Properties

Know all about Schist and Greywacke properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Greywacke belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Greywacke is Clastic. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Greywacke appears Dull. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Greywacke is dull. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Greywacke are as armour rock for sea walls, petroleum reservoirs, sea defence, tombstones.

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