Schist

Soapstone

Schist and Soapstone

Schist

Soapstone

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Definition

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

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

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

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated, Platy

Polished

Color

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

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered and Shiny

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

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

Metamorphic rock

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Host Rock for Lead

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

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.

Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

CaO, Mg, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-41

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Shiny

Greasy

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²225.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Perfect

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.86

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.88 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Europe

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

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

Canada, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Schist and Soapstone Properties

Know all about Schist and Soapstone properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist and Soapstone belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Soapstone is Polished. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Soapstone appears Dull, Banded and Foilated. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Soapstone is greasy. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Soapstone are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, production of lime, source of magnesia (mgo).