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Slate vs Greenschist


Greenschist 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  
Greenschist is a metamorphic rock that is formed under lowest temperatures and pressures and is usually produced by regional metamorphism  

History
  
  

Origin
England  
-  

Discoverer
Abraham Gottlob Werner  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)  
From minerals such as chlorite, serpentine, and epidote, and platy minerals such as muscovite and platy serpentine which are green in color  

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated  
Foliated, Platy  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Dull  
Layered and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

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  
Blackboards, Manufacture of tools, Writing Slates  

Types

Types
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate  
Metamorphic rock  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  

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.  
Greenschist is medium grade metamorphic rock, formed by the metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, or some types of igneous rock, when it is subjected to higher temperatures and pressures.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon  
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Serpentine, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  

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

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  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
Very fine-grained  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Splintery  
Conchoidal  

Streak
Light to dark brown  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Shiny  

Compressive Strength
30.00 N/mm2  
99+
160.00 N/mm2  
21

Cleavage
Slaty  
Slaty  

Toughness
1.2  
1.5  

Specific Gravity
2.65-2.8  
2.5-2.9  

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, Water Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Turkey  
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  

Africa
-  
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom  
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  

Others
Arctic  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  

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Slate vs Greenschist 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 Greenschist 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. Greenschist is a metamorphic rock that is formed under lowest temperatures and pressures and is usually produced by regional metamorphism. 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 Greenschist information and Slate vs Greenschist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Slate vs Greenschist 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 Greenschist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Greenschist. Learn more about Slate vs Greenschist 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 Greenschist include Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Greenschist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Greenschist include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Slate and Greenschist

Here you can know more about Slate and Greenschist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Greenschist 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 Greenschist includes Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Serpentine, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Greenschist, 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, Greenschist is available in dark greenish - grey, green colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Greenschist is Layered and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Greenschist. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Greenschist is 3.5-4. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Greenschist 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 Greenschist is white. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Greenschist 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 Greenschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.

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