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Slate
Slate

Granite
Granite



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Slate vs Granite

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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
Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone

History

Origin

England
-

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner
Alexander von Humboldt

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)
From Italian granito, which means grained rock, from grano grain, and from Latin granum

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
Plutonic

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Foliated
Granular, Phaneritic

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
More

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Veined or Pebbled

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
As Dimension Stone

Medical Industry

-
-

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
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
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

Types

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate
Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, It is One of the Oldest, Strongest and Hardest Rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

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Agia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, Blue Domed Church in Santorini, Greece, Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Charminar in Hyderabad, India, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London, UK, Ephesus in Turkey, Georgia Guidestones in Georgia, US, Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, Khajuraho Temples, India, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, India, Mysore Palace in Karnataka, India, Signers Monument in Augusta, Georgia, Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Tower Bridge in London, Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, US, Washington Monument, US

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

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Avukana Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka, Lincoln Memorial in America, Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, US, The Colossal Red Granite Statue of Amenhotep III in Karnak, Egypt

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.
Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which is very hard, crystalline and is visibly homogeneous in texture and forms by melting of continental rocks

Composition

Mineral Content

Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, 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

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-46-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Large and Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery
-

Streak

Light to dark brown
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Less Porous

Luster

Dull
Dull to Grainy with Sporadic parts Pearly and Vitreous

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm2175.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
-

Toughness

1.2
-

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.82.6-2.7
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm32.65-2.75 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.76 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Turkey
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

-
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic

Others

Arctic
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil
-

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
-

Slate vs Granite 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 Granite 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. Granite is a very hard, granular, crystalline igneous rock which consists mainly of quartz, mica, and feldspar and is often used as building stone. 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 Granite information and Slate vs Granite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Slate vs Granite 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 Granite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Granite. Learn more about Slate vs Granite 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 Granite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Granite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Granite include As dimension stone.

More about Slate and Granite

Here you can know more about Slate and Granite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Granite 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 Granite includes Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Granite, 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, Granite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Granite is Veined or Pebbled. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Granite. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Granite is 6-7. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Granite are Igneous Protolith Granite, Sedimentary Protolith Granite, Mantle Granite, Anorogenic Granite, Hybrid Granite, Granodiorite and Alkali Feldspar Granite. 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 Granite is white. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Granite is 0.79 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 Granite is heat resistant, wear resistant.