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Slate
Slate

Gritstone
Gritstone



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Slate vs Gritstone

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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
Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone

History

Origin

England
Pennines, England

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner
J.J. Ferber

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)
From Grit + Stone

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Foliated
Earthy

Color

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

Maintenance

Less
Less

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Layered and Foliated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
Construction Aggregate, 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
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As a Feed Additive for Livestock, Gemstone, Metallurgical Flux, Production of Lime, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones

Types

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate
Sedimentary rock

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

-
-

Famous Monuments

-
-

Sculpture

-
-

Famous Sculptures

-
-

Pictographs

-
-

Petroglyphs

-
-

Figurines

-
-

Fossils

Absent
Present

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.
Gritstone is a type of sedimentary rock which was formed on the floors of wide river deltas where the grit deposits were laid down, with every tide or flood dumping another layer of sediment.

Composition

Mineral Content

Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon
Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz

Compound Content

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic 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, Coastal Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-46-7
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery
Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull
Dull

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm270.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
Perfect

Toughness

1.2
-

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.82.250
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm32.2 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, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Turkey
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan

Africa

-
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Arctic
Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA
Canada, USA

South America

Brazil
Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia

Slate vs Gritstone 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 Gritstone 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. Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. 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 Gritstone information and Slate vs Gritstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Slate vs Gritstone 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 Gritstone characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Gritstone. Learn more about Slate vs Gritstone 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 Gritstone include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Gritstone, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Gritstone include Construction aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Slate and Gritstone

Here you can know more about Slate and Gritstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Gritstone 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 Gritstone includes Calcite, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Gritstone, 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, Gritstone is available in beige, black, brown, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Gritstone is Layered and Foliated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Gritstone. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Gritstone is 6-7. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Gritstone are Sedimentary 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 Gritstone is white. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Gritstone 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 Gritstone is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.