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Schist
Schist

Hornfels
Hornfels



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Schist vs Hornfels

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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
Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock

History

Origin

-
New Zealand

Discoverer

Unknown
Unknown

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From German which means hornstone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft 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
Granular, Platy

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Layered and Shiny
Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

-
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

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

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Types

Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Biotite hornfels

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Smooth to touch

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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Fe, Mg

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-42-3
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Conchoidal

Streak

White
-

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny
Shiny

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm25.80 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
Perfect

Toughness

1.5
-

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.93.4-3.9
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm30.25-0.30 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

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
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa

Europe

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

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Schist vs Hornfels 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 Hornfels Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock. 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 Hornfels information and Schist vs Hornfels characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Schist vs Hornfels 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 Hornfels characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Hornfels. Learn more about Schist vs Hornfels in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Hornfels, 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 Hornfels include For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Schist and Hornfels

Here you can know more about Schist and Hornfels. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Hornfels 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 Hornfels includes Andalusite. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Hornfels, 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, Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Hornfels is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Hornfels. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Hornfels is 2-3. 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 Hornfels are Biotite hornfels. 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 Hornfels is . The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Hornfels 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 Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.