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Schist
Schist

Rhyolite
Rhyolite



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Rhyolite

Schist vs Rhyolite

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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
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica

History

Origin

-
North America

Discoverer

Unknown
Ferdinand von Richthofen

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
Volcanic

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Foliated, Platy
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
More

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Layered and Shiny
Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

-
-

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts
Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry

Types

Types

Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors

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.
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Ca, Fe, Potassium Oxide, Mg, Potassium, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

-
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-46-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal
Sub-conchoidal

Streak

White
-

Porosity

Highly Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny
Earthy

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm2140.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
-

Toughness

1.5
2

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.65-2.67
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm32.4-2.6 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.71 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

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

Others

-
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

Schist vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica. 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 Rhyolite information and Schist vs Rhyolite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Schist vs Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Rhyolite. Learn more about Schist vs Rhyolite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Rhyolite include Decorative aggregates, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Rhyolite, 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 Rhyolite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives.

More about Schist and Rhyolite

Here you can know more about Schist and Rhyolite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite includes Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Rhyolite, 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, Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Rhyolite is Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Rhyolite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Rhyolite 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 Rhyolite are Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.. 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 Rhyolite is . The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Rhyolite is 0.71 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 Rhyolite is heat resistant, wear resistant.