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Schist vs Diorite


Diorite vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From early 19th century coined in French, formed irregularly from Greek diorizein distinguish  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
Plutonic  

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Phaneritic  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
No  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Creating Artwork, Curling  

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  
Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Typically speckled black and white.  

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.  
Diorite is a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock which contains large interlocking and randomly oriented crystals and forms when molten lava does not reach the Earth’s surface and cools down in the Earth’s crust.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  
Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
6-7  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Medium to Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
-  

Streak
White  
Bluish Black  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Very Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
225.00 N/mm2  
8

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.5  
2.1  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.8-3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.8-3 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
Egypt  

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Schist vs Diorite 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 Diorite Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Diorite is a grey to dark-grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar,biotite, hornblende, and pyroxene. 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 Diorite information and Schist vs Diorite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Schist vs Diorite 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 Diorite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Diorite. Learn more about Schist vs Diorite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Diorite include Decorative aggregates and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Diorite, 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 Diorite include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Cobblestones, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate.

More about Schist and Diorite

Here you can know more about Schist and Diorite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Diorite 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 Diorite includes Albite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Titanite, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Diorite, 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, Diorite is available in black, brown, light to dark grey, white colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Diorite is Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Diorite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Diorite is 6-7. 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 Diorite are Plagioclase Diorite and Quartz Diorite. 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 Diorite is bluish black. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Diorite is 0.84 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 Diorite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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