Slate

Claystone

Slate and Claystone

Slate

Claystone

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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

Claystone is a fine-grained, dark gray to pink sedimentary rock which mainly consists of compacted and hardened clay

History

Origin

England

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner

Unknown

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)

From English clay and stone as the rock contains more amount of clay

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated

Clastic

Color

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

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Grey, Orange, Red, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Rough and Dull

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

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

Exterior Uses

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

As Facing Stone, Roof Tiles

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines

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

Pottery

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate

Claystone

Features

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

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Smooth to touch, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Present

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.

Claystone is generally quite soft, but can be hard and brittle. It forms due to weathering of mudstone.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyrite, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-43.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Streak

Light to dark brown

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm²40.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Perfect

Toughness

1.2

2.6

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.80

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm³2-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.76 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Turkey

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Europe

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

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

Others

Arctic

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, Panama, USA

South America

Brazil

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

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

All about Slate and Claystone Properties

Know all about Slate and Claystone properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Claystone belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Slate is Foliated whereas that of Claystone is Clastic. Slate appears Dull and Claystone appears Rough and Dull. The luster of Slate and Claystone is dull. Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors whereas Claystone is available in black, blue, brown, green, grey, orange, red, white, yellow 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 Claystone are pottery.