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Schist vs Travertine


Travertine vs Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters  

History
  
  

Origin
-  
Italy  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

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

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Grey, Red, White, Yellow  

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  
Fibrous  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
-  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery  

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.  
Thermal Travertine and Tufa  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

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.  
Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.  

Composition
  
  

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

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Ca, NaCl, CaO, Oxygen  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
No  

Types of 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  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
3-4  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Splintery  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Dull to Pearly  

Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2  
22
80.00 N/mm2  
33

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.5  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
1.68  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.71 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K  
24
1.09 kJ/Kg K  
8

Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

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

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

Others
-  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  
-  

Definition >>
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Schist vs Travertine 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 Travertine Reserves. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters. 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 Travertine information and Schist vs Travertine characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Schist vs Travertine 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 Travertine characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Travertine. Learn more about Schist vs Travertine in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Travertine include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Travertine, 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 Travertine include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Schist and Travertine

Here you can know more about Schist and Travertine. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Travertine 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 Travertine includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Travertine, 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, Travertine is available in beige, black, blue, brown, grey, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Travertine is Fibrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Travertine. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Travertine is 3-4. 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 Travertine are Thermal Travertine and Tufa. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Schist and Travertine is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is 0.70 kJ/Kg K and that of Travertine is 1.09 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 Travertine is impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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