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Schist
Schist

Chert
Chert



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Schist vs Chert

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Definition

Definition

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture

History

Origin

-
-

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From flint-like quartz, 1670s, of unknown origin- a local term, which has been taken into geological use

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard 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
Banded, Rough

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Layered and Shiny
Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Arrowheads, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, Spear Points

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, To ignite fire, Used in flintlock firearms

Types

Types

Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate

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.
Chert forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The chert formation can be either of chemical or biological origin.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
-

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46.5-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Very fine-grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal

Streak

White
White

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny
Waxy and Dull

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm2450.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
-

Toughness

1.5
1.5

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.5-2.8
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm32.7 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.74 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

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, Japan, 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

-
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

Schist vs Chert 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 Chert Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Chert is a hard, dark, opaque sedimentary rock which is composed of silica with an amorphous fine-grained texture. 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 Chert information and Schist vs Chert characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Schist vs Chert 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 Chert characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Chert. Learn more about Schist vs Chert in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Chert include Decorative aggregates and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Chert, 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 Chert include Arrowheads, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, Spear points.

More about Schist and Chert

Here you can know more about Schist and Chert. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Chert 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 Chert includes Quartz, Silicon. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Chert, 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, Chert is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Chert is Glassy or Pearly. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Chert. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Chert is 6.5-7. 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 Chert are Flint, Jasper, Radiolarite, Common Chert, Chalcedony, Agate, Onyx, Opal, Magadi-type Chert, Porcelanite, Siliceous Sinter. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Chert is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Chert is 0.74 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 Chert is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.