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Schist vs Kimberlite


Kimberlite vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation   
Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
Kimberley, South Africa   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split   
From Kimberley +‎ -ite, from the name of the South African town of Kimberley where the rock was first found.   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy   
Porphyritic   

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver   
Black, Bluish - Grey, Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Grey   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Layered and Shiny   
Dull and Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   
As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates   
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)   

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.   
Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites   

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch   
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

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.   
Kimberlite is an igneous rock and is the main source of diamonds. Its formation takes place deep beneath the Earth’s surface between 150 to 450 kilometres, and are erupted rapidly and violently.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc   
Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene   

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO   
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact 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, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4   
6-7   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Fine to Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Very Less Porous   

Luster
Shiny   
Subvitreous to Dull   

Cleavage
Slaty   
Conchoidal   

Toughness
1.5   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9   
2.86-2.87   

Transparency
Opaque   
Translucent to Opaque   

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   
2.95-2.96 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa   
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, South Africa   

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

Others
Not Yet Found   
Antarctica   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Schist vs Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Kimberlite is a rare, blue-tinged, coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock, which sometimes contains diamonds and is mostly found in South Africa and Siberia.. 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 Kimberlite information and Schist vs Kimberlite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Schist vs Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Kimberlite. Learn more about Schist vs Kimberlite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Kimberlite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Kimberlite, 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 Kimberlite include As a flux in the production of steel and pig iron, As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Schist and Kimberlite

Here you can know more about Schist and Kimberlite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite includes Garnet, Olivine, Phlogopite, Pyroxene. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Kimberlite, 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, Kimberlite is available in black, bluish - grey, brown, dark greenish - grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Kimberlite is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Kimberlite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite are Basaltic Kimberlites and Micaceous Kimberlites. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Kimberlite is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is Not Available and that of Kimberlite 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 Kimberlite is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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