Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From English clay and stone as the rock contains more amount of clay
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated, Platy
Clastic
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Layered and Shiny
Rough and Dull
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Facing Stone, Roof Tiles
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Pottery
Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Not Available
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
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.
Claystone is generally quite soft, but can be hard and brittle. It forms due to weathering of mudstone.
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
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Not Available
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9
0
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
2-2.9 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
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
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
Canada, Panama, 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
Schist vs Claystone 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 Claystone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Claystone. Learn more about Schist vs Claystone in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Claystone include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Claystone, 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 Claystone include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.
More about Schist and Claystone
Here you can know more about Schist and Claystone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Claystone 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 Claystone 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 Claystone, 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, Claystone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Claystone is Rough and Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Claystone. Hardness of Schist and Claystone is 3.5-4. 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 Claystone are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Claystone is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is Not Available and that of Claystone is 0.92 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 Claystone is heat resistant, impact resistant.