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Schist vs Argillite


Argillite vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From Latin Argilla (clay) and -ite in English which became agrilla+ -ite = Argillite  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary 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

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Clastic, Polished  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Dark Grey to Black, Pink, Red, White  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Rough and Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings  

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing, Whetstones  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  
Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Fire resistant, Used to manufracture paperweights and bookends  

Types

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  
Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

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.  
An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock mainly composed of clay particles which forms from lithified muds which contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles.  

Composition
  
  

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

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of 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  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
2-3  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal to Uneven  

Streak
White  
White to Grey  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Waxy and Dull  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
-  

Cleavage
Slaty  
Slaty  

Toughness
1.5  
2.6  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.56-2.68  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.54-2.66 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
0.87 kJ/Kg K  
14

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

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

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Schist vs Argillite 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 Argillite Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Argillites are highly compact sedimentary or slightly metamorphosed rocks that consist largely or wholly of particles of clay or silt but lack the fissility of shale or the cleavage characteristic of slate. 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 Argillite information and Schist vs Argillite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Schist vs Argillite 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 Argillite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Argillite. Learn more about Schist vs Argillite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Argillite include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Argillite, 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 Argillite include Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Schist and Argillite

Here you can know more about Schist and Argillite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Argillite 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 Argillite includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Argillite, 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, Argillite is available in dark grey to black, pink, red, white colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Argillite is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Argillite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Argillite is 2-3. 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 Argillite are Metamorphic rock. 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 Argillite is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Argillite is 0.87 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 Argillite is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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