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Schist vs Skarn


Skarn vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
USA, Australia  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Tornebohm  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  
Durable Rock, Hard 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  
Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
-  
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, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, 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.  
Endoskarns  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits  

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. Skarn 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  
Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
No  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
-  

Erosion
Yes  
No  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion  
-  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
6.5  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Irregular  

Streak
White  
Light to dark brown  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Waxy and Dull  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
70.00 N/mm2  
35

Cleavage
Slaty  
Slaty  

Toughness
1.5  
2.4  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.86  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10

Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  
Heat Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  
China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka  

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
South Africa, 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  

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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Schist vs Skarn 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 Skarn Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin. 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 Skarn information and Schist vs Skarn characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Schist vs Skarn 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 Skarn characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Skarn. Learn more about Schist vs Skarn in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Skarn include Decorative aggregates, Entryways and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Skarn, 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 Skarn 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, Gold and silver production, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories.

More about Schist and Skarn

Here you can know more about Schist and Skarn. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Skarn 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 Skarn includes Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Skarn, 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, Skarn is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Skarn is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Skarn. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Skarn is 6.5. 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 Skarn are Endoskarns. 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 Skarn is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Skarn 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 Skarn is heat resistant.

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