Schist

Porphyry

Schist vs Porphyry

Schist

Porphyry

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation

Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

Egypt

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

1.3 Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

From Old French porfire, from Italian porfiro and in some cases directly from Latin porphyrites

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

Plutonic

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Foliated, Platy

Porphyritic

2.2 Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver

Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Red, Rust, White

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Layered and Shiny

Dull

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Not Yet Used

Curbing

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

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

Construction Aggregate

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

4 Types

4.1 Types

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

Rhomb Porphyry

4.2 Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

Not Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 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.

Porphyry is formed in two stages: the magma cools slowly deep within the crust or the magma is cools rapidly as it erupts from a volcano, creating small grains that are usually invisible to naked eye.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica

5.2.2 Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Not Registered

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3.5-46-7

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fine Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

Irregular

6.1.4 Streak

White

6.1.5 Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Shiny

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

NANA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Slaty

Imperfect

6.1.9 Toughness

1.5

1.7

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.5-4

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.5-2.52 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NANA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

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

China, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

7.1.2 Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

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

Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

Greenland

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

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

Canada, Cuba, Jamaica, USA

7.2.2 South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Schist vs Porphyry 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 Porphyry Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Porphyry is a reddish-brown to purple igneous rock containing large phenocrysts of various minerals embedded in a fine-grained matrix. 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 Porphyry information and Schist vs Porphyry characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Schist and Porphyry

Here you can know more about Schist and Porphyry. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Porphyry 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 Porphyry includes Biotite, Chert, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Porphyry, 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, Porphyry is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, red, rust, white colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Porphyry is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Porphyry. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Porphyry 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 Porphyry are Rhomb Porphyry. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Porphyry is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is Not Available and that of Porphyry is Not Available. 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 Porphyry is heat resistant, impact resistant.