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Slate and Conglomerate


Conglomerate and Slate


Definition

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   
Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock which forms from rounded gravel and boulder sized clasts which are cemented together in a matrix   

History
  
  

Origin
England   
Italy   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)   
From Latin conglomeratus, to roll together, i.e. from com together + glomerare to gather into a ball, from glomus (genitive glomeris) a ball   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Foliated   
Clastic   

Color
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue   
Beige, Black, Brown, Buff, Light to Dark Grey, Orange, Rust, White, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull   
Shiny and Rounded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone   
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Monuments, 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   
Cemetery Markers, In aquifers, Tombstones   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock   
Clasts are smooth to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Matrix variable   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Present   

Formation

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.   
Conglomerate forms where sediments consisting mainly of pebble and cobble-size clasts at least two millimeters in diameter starts accumulating.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon   
Clay, Sand, Silica, Silt   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   

Weathering
Yes   
No   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Not Applicable   

Erosion
Yes   
No   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4   
2-3   

Grain Size
Very fine-grained   
Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Splintery   
Uneven   

Streak
Light to dark brown   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull   

Compressive Strength
30.00 N/mm2   
30
Not Available   

Cleavage
Slaty   
Non-Existent   

Toughness
1.2   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.65-2.8   
2.86-2.88   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3   
1.7-2.3 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.76 kJ/Kg K   
17
0.92 kJ/Kg K   
10

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Turkey   
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   

Africa
Not Yet Found   
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom   
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   

Others
Arctic   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Brazil   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
New South Wales, New Zealand   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Slate and Conglomerate Properties

Know all about Slate and Conglomerate properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Conglomerate belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Slate is Foliated whereas that of Conglomerate is Clastic. Slate appears Dull and Conglomerate appears Shiny and Rounded. The luster of Slate and Conglomerate is dull. Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors whereas Conglomerate is available in beige, black, brown, buff, light to dark grey, orange, rust, 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 Conglomerate are cemetery markers, in aquifers, tombstones.

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