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Schist vs Banded iron formation


Banded iron formation vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation   
Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
Western Australia, Minnesota   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split   
From its formation process   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy   
Banded, Trellis   

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver   
Red, Reddish Brown   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

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, Homes   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing, Whetstones   

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates   
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.   
Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite   

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

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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.   
The banded iron layers are formed in sea water when oxygen is released by photosynthetic cyano-bacteria. The oxygen then combines with dissolved iron in ocean to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer of banded iron formation on ocean floor.   

Composition
  
  

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4   
5.5-6   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Shiny   
Earthy   

Cleavage
Slaty   
Imperfect   

Toughness
1.5   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9   
5.0-5.3   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   
Not Available   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
3.20 kJ/Kg K   
1

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam   

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

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland   
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom   

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana   
Bolivia, Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Schist vs Banded iron formation 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 Banded iron formation Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Banded iron formation are distinctive units of sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age. 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 Banded iron formation information and Schist vs Banded iron formation characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Schist and Banded iron formation

Here you can know more about Schist and Banded iron formation. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Banded iron formation 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 Banded iron formation includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Banded iron formation, 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, Banded iron formation is available in red, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Banded iron formation is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Banded iron formation. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Banded iron formation is 5.5-6. 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 Banded iron formation are Algoma-type , Lake Superior-type, Superior-type and Taconite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Banded iron formation is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is Not Available and that of Banded iron formation is 3.20 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 Banded iron formation is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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