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Schist vs Anthracite


Anthracite vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Anthracite is a type of sedimentary rock which is hard and is variety of coal that has high luster  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Pennsylvania, U.S.  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From Greek anthrakites, from anthrax, anthrak meaning coal  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
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  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Amorphous, Glassy  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Black, Brown, Dark Brown, Grey, Light to Dark Grey  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Veined or Pebbled  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration  
-  

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
-  

Other Architectural Uses
-  
-  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  
Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel Production  

Medical Industry
-  
In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Manufacture of Aspirins  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
-  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Alumina Refineries, Electricity Generation, Liquid Fuel, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Paper Industry  

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  
Semi-anthracite and Meta-anthracite  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Helps in production of Heat and Electricity, Used as fossil fuel  

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.  
Anthracite forms from the accumulation of plant debris in a swamp environment. When plant debris dies and falls into the swamp, the standing water of the swamp protects it from decay.   

Composition
  
  

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

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sulphur  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
No  

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

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  
-  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
1-1.5  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
Black  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
-  

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.5  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
1.1-1.4  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
1.25-2.5 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
1.32 kJ/Kg K  
4

Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  
Heat Resistant, Water Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  
Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam  

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
Botswana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania  

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Belgium, Bulgaria, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  
New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria  

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Schist vs Anthracite 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 Anthracite Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Anthracite is a type of sedimentary rock which is hard and is variety of coal that has high luster. 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 Anthracite information and Schist vs Anthracite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Schist vs Anthracite 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 Anthracite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Anthracite. Learn more about Schist vs Anthracite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Anthracite include . Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Anthracite, 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 Anthracite include Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Steel production.

More about Schist and Anthracite

Here you can know more about Schist and Anthracite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Anthracite 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 Anthracite includes Calcite, Clay, Clay Minerals. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Anthracite, 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, Anthracite is available in black, brown, dark brown, grey, light to dark grey colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Anthracite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Anthracite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Anthracite is 1-1.5. 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 Anthracite are Semi-anthracite and Meta-anthracite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist is white while that of Anthracite is black. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Anthracite is 1.32 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 Anthracite is heat resistant, water resistant.

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