Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
Mudstone is a fine-grained, dark gray sedimentary rock, which is formed from silt and clay and is similar to shale but has less laminations
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From the English mud and stone, from low German mudde and stainaz
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated, Platy
Clastic
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Layered and Shiny
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Roof Tiles
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Creating Artwork, Pottery
Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Marl, Shale and Argillite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
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
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
Mudstone forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are buried and compacted by overlying sediment hence forming mudstone.
Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9
2.2-2.8
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.4-2.8 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Bangladesh, China, India, Russia
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia