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Slate
Slate

Felsite
Felsite



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Slate vs Felsite

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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
Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

History

Origin

England
-

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner
Unknown

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)
From English feldspar and -ite

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

-
Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Texture

Foliated
Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

Medical Industry

-
Surgery

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
Mirror, Jewelry

Types

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate
Igneous rock

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, 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.
Felsite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

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

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

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-45-5.5
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Fine Grained

Fracture

Splintery
Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Very Less Porous

Luster

Dull
Vitreous

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm20.15 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
-

Toughness

1.2
-

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.82.6-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Translucent

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm32.6 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
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Africa

-
Kenya

Europe

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

Others

Arctic
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, Mexico, USA

South America

Brazil
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
New Zealand

Slate vs Felsite 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 Felsite 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. Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition. 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 Felsite information and Slate vs Felsite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Slate vs Felsite 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 Felsite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Felsite. Learn more about Slate vs Felsite 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 Felsite include Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Felsite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Felsite include Arrowheads, Cutting tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear points.

More about Slate and Felsite

Here you can know more about Slate and Felsite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Felsite 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 Felsite includes Feldspar, Iron Oxides. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Felsite, 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, Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Felsite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Felsite. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Felsite is 5-5.5. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Felsite are Igneous 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 Felsite is white. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Felsite is 0.92 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 Felsite is heat resistant, impact resistant.