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Schist vs Anorthosite


Anorthosite vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From French anorthose plagioclase + -ite1  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Plutonic  

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Foliated, Glassy  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Green, Grey, Light Greenish Grey, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
As Building 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  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Creating Artwork, Curling  

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  
Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

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.  
Anorthosite is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock which is characterized by a predominance of plagioclase feldspar which is almost 90–100%, and a minimal mafic component.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  
Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Ca, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, MgO, Sulfur Trioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
5-6  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Irregular  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Pearly to Subvitreous  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
180.00 N/mm2  
18

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.5  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.62-2.82  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.7-4 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

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  
Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Czech Republic  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Bolivia, Colombia  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  
Central Australia, South Australia, Western Australia  

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Schist vs Anorthosite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Schist and Anorthosite Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Anorthosite is a granular igneous rock composed largely of labradorite or plagioclase. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Schist vs Anorthosite information and Schist vs Anorthosite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Schist vs Anorthosite Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Schist vs Anorthosite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Anorthosite. Learn more about Schist vs Anorthosite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Anorthosite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Anorthosite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Schist in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Roadstone and that of Anorthosite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate.

More about Schist and Anorthosite

Here you can know more about Schist and Anorthosite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Anorthosite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Schist includes Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc and mineral content of Anorthosite includes Amphibole, Clinopyroxene, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Olivine, Orthopyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Anorthosite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas, Anorthosite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, green, grey, light greenish grey, pink, white colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Anorthosite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Anorthosite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Anorthosite is 5-6. The types of Schist are Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist. whereas types of Anorthosite are Proterozoic Anorthosite and Archean Anorthosite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Anorthosite is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Anorthosite is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Schist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant whereas Anorthosite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant.

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