Slate vs Soapstone

Slate vs Soapstone 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 Soapstone 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. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. 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 Soapstone information and Slate vs Soapstone characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Slate and Soapstone

Here you can know more about Slate and Soapstone. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Soapstone 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 Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Soapstone, 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, Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Soapstone. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Soapstone is 1. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Soapstone 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 Soapstone is black. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Soapstone is 0.88 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 Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant.