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Schist vs Rhyolite


Rhyolite vs Schist


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
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

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
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic 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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
6-7  

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/mm2  
22
140.00 N/mm2  
23

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.5  
2  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.65-2.67  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.4-2.6 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
0.71 kJ/Kg K  
23

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  

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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.

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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.

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