Slate

Dolomite

Slate and Dolomite

Slate

Dolomite

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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

Dolomite is a sedimentary rock containing more than 50 percent of the mineral dolomite by weight

History

Origin

England

Southern Alps, France

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner

Dolomieu

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)

From French, from the name of Dolomieu (1750–1801), the French geologist who discovered the rock

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary 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

Foliated

Earthy

Color

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

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Glassy or Pearly

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

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 a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock

Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Jewellery, 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

An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate

Boninite and Jasperoid

Features

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

Host Rock for Lead, Traps for subsurface fluids like Oil and Natural Gas., Zinc and Copper Deposits

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.

Dolomite rocks are originally deposited as calcite or aragonite rich limestone, but during diagenesis process, the calcite or aragonite is transformed into dolomite.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

Clay Minerals, Pyrite, Quartz, Sulfides

Compound Content

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

NaCl, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-43.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery

Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Vitreous and Pearly

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm²140.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

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Cleavage

Slaty

Perfect

Toughness

1.2

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.82.8-3

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Transparent to Translucent

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm³2.8-2.9 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, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Turkey

China, India

Africa

Morocco, Namibia

Europe

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

Austria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Switzerland

Others

Arctic

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil

Brazil, Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, Queensland, Yorke Peninsula

All about Slate and Dolomite Properties

Know all about Slate and Dolomite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Dolomite belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Slate is Foliated whereas that of Dolomite is Earthy. Slate appears Dull and Dolomite appears Glassy or Pearly. The luster of Slate is dull while that of Dolomite is vitreous and pearly. Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors whereas Dolomite is available in black, brown, green, grey, pink, white 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 Dolomite are an oil and gas reservoir, as a feed additive for livestock, gemstone, metallurgical flux, production of lime, soil conditioner, source of magnesia (mgo).