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Schist vs Gossan


Gossan vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Indonesia  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Cornish Gossen  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Rough, Sandy  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Dull and Banded  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving 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  
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone  

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates  

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.  
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
No  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
4-5  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine to Medium Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White to Grey  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Metallic  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
-  

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.5  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.0  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
-9999 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
0.24 kJ/Kg K  
31

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea  

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa  

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom  

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Schist vs Gossan 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 Gossan Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.. 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 Gossan information and Schist vs Gossan characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Schist and Gossan

Here you can know more about Schist and Gossan. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Gossan 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 Gossan includes Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Gossan, 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, Gossan is available in brown, brown- black, gold, green, rust colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Gossan is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Gossan. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Gossan is 4-5. 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 Gossan are Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan. 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 Gossan is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Gossan is 0.24 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 Gossan is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.

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