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Slate and Rhyolite


Rhyolite 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   
Rhyolite is a fine-grained igneous rock which is rich in silica   

History
  
  

Origin
England   
North America   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Ferdinand von Richthofen   

Etymology
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)   
From German Rhyolit, from Greek rhuax lava stream + lithos stone   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated   
Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic   

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

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Dull   
Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone   
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts   

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   
Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Pumice Rocks, Obsidian Rocks, Perlite Rocks, Porphyritic Rocks.   

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock   
Acidic in nature, Available in lots of colors   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

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.   
Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive rock and due to its high silica content, rhyolite lava is very viscous and is volcanic equivalent of granite.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon   
Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

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

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4   
6-7   

Grain Size
Very fine-grained   
Large and Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Splintery   
Sub-conchoidal   

Streak
Light to dark brown   
Colorless   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Earthy   

Compressive Strength
30.00 N/mm2   
30
140.00 N/mm2   
15

Cleavage
Slaty   
Not Available   

Toughness
1.2   
2   

Specific Gravity
2.65-2.8   
2.65-2.67   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3   
2.4-2.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.76 kJ/Kg K   
17
Not Available   

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Turkey   
China, India   

Africa
Not Yet Found   
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom   
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain   

Others
Arctic   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Not Yet Found   
New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Slate and Rhyolite Properties

Know all about Slate and Rhyolite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Slate belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Rhyolite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Slate is Foliated whereas that of Rhyolite is Aphanitic, Glassy, Porphyritic. Slate appears Dull and Rhyolite appears Banded. The luster of Slate is dull while that of Rhyolite is earthy. Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors whereas Rhyolite is available in grey, white, light black 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 Rhyolite are gemstone, laboratory bench tops, jewelry.

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