Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
Sovite is a coarse-grained variety of carbonatite which belongs to intrusive igneous rock
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
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Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated, Platy
Granular, Poikiloblastic
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Layered and Shiny
Dull, Banded and Foilated
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
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Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Medical Industry
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Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, 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.
Carbonatite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Available in lots of colors, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
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.
Sovites are formed due to low degrees of partial melting of rocks.
Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
Ancylite, Apatite, Barite, Fluorite, Magnetite, Natrolite, Sodalite
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Sodium Oxide
Types of Metamorphism
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Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Shiny
Subvitreous to Dull
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.84-2.86 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant
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
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
All about Schist and Sovite Properties
Know all about Schist and Sovite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Sovite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Sovite is Granular, Poikiloblastic. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Sovite appears Dull, Banded and Foilated. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Sovite is subvitreous to dull. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Sovite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Sovite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, creating artwork, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).