Slate

Blueschist

Slate and Blueschist

Slate

Blueschist

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Definition

Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism

Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature

History

Origin

England

USA

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner

Edgar Bailey

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue

Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

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

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Blackboards, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Standard material for the bed of Billiard table, Standard material for the beds of Pool and Snooker table, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate

Metamorphic rock

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Slate is a low grade metamorphic rock that is generally formed by metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, under relatively low pressure and temperature conditions.

Blueschist forms due to the metamorphism of basalt and other rocks with similar composition at high pressures and low temperatures and approximately corresponding to a depth of 15 to 30 kilometers and 200 to 500 °C.

Composition

Mineral Content

Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon

Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-43.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown

White to Grey

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm²220.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.2

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.83-3.2

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.76 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Turkey

Japan, Turkey

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa

Europe

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

France, Greece, Iceland

Others

Arctic

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

South America

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

All about Slate and Blueschist Properties

Know all about Slate and Blueschist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Slate and Blueschist belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Slate is Foliated whereas that of Blueschist is Foliated. Slate appears Dull and Blueschist appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Slate and Blueschist is dull. Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors whereas Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Slate are blackboards, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, standard material for the bed of billiard table, standard material for the beds of pool and snooker table, tombstones, used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Blueschist are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, curling, tombstones.