Home
Compare Rocks


Slate vs Blueschist


Blueschist vs 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  
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  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Foliated  
Foliated  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

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

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  
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.  
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
Yes  
No  

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

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4  
3.5-4  

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  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
30.00 N/mm2  
99+
220.00 N/mm2  
9

Cleavage
Slaty  
Slaty  

Toughness
1.2  
1.5  

Specific Gravity
2.65-2.8  
3-3.2  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.76 kJ/Kg K  
19
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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  
USA  

South America
Brazil  
-  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
New Zealand  

Definition >>
<< All

Slate vs Blueschist Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Slate and Blueschist Reserves. 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. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Slate vs Blueschist information and Slate vs Blueschist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Slate vs Blueschist Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Slate vs Blueschist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Blueschist. Learn more about Slate vs Blueschist in the next section. The interior uses of Slate include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Blueschist include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Blueschist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Blueschist include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Slate and Blueschist

Here you can know more about Slate and Blueschist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Blueschist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Slate includes Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon and mineral content of Blueschist includes Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Blueschist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Blueschist is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Blueschist. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Blueschist is 3.5-4. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Blueschist are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Slate is light to dark brown while that of Blueschist is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Blueschist is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Blueschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant.

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

» More Metamorphic Rocks

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks