Shale

Schist

Shale and Schist

Shale

Schist

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Definition

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles

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

History

Origin

Discoverer

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Unknown

Etymology

From German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

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

Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Foliated, Platy

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Layered and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Types

Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale

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

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.

Schist formed by dynamic metamorphism at high temperatures and pressures that aligns the grains of mica, hornblende and other elongated minerals into thin layers.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

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

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

33.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Shiny

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.82.5-2.9

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 kJ/Kg K0.70 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

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

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

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

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

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

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Shale and Schist Properties

Know all about Shale and Schist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Shale belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Shale is Clastic, Splintery whereas that of Schist is Foliated, Platy. Shale appears Muddy and Schist appears Layered and Shiny. The luster of Shale is dull while that of Schist is shiny. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. The commercial uses of Shale are creating artwork, pottery and that of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates.