Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
During the impact melted material forming a breccia containing glass and crystal or lithic fragments together form Suevite rock.
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
No etymologies found
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated, Platy
Earthy
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Layered and Shiny
Banded
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, 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.
Phyllosilicates, Calcite
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Host Rock for Lead
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.
Suevite is a metamorphic rock consisting partly of melted material, typically forming a breccia containing glass and crystal or lithic fragments, formed during an impact event.
Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
Coesite, Quartz, Stishovite
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
-
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
White
Light to dark brown
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9
2.86
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
-
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
-
Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
England, France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
-
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland
-
All about Schist and Suevite Properties
Know all about Schist and Suevite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist and Suevite belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Suevite is Earthy. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Suevite appears Banded. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Suevite is earthy. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Suevite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Suevite are as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux, source of magnesia (mgo).