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Slate vs Taconite


Taconite 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  
Taconite is a low-grade iron ore which belongs to sedimentary rock and containing about 27% iron and 51% silica  

History
  
  

Origin
England  
Western Australia, Minnesota  

Discoverer
Abraham Gottlob Werner  
Newton Horace Winchell  

Etymology
From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)  
From the name of Taconic Mountains in New England  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Sedimentary 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, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Foliated  
Banded, Trellis  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

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, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone  
As Dimension Stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.  

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  
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  

Types

Types
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate  
Iron formation  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  
Is one of the oldest 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.  
Taconite is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock as it flows. When the river reaches a lake or sea, its load of transported rocks settles or deposits at the bottom of sea or lake.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon  
Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz  

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

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, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3-4  
5.5-6  

Grain Size
Very fine-grained  
Large and Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Splintery  
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal  

Streak
Light to dark brown  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Earthy  

Compressive Strength
30.00 N/mm2  
99+
190.00 N/mm2  
15

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
1.2  
1.5  

Specific Gravity
2.65-2.8  
5-5.3  

Transparency
Opaque  
Translucent to Opaque  

Density
2.6-2.8 g/cm3  
-9999 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.76 kJ/Kg K  
19
3.20 kJ/Kg K  
1

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Turkey  
China, India, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam  

Africa
-  
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania  

Europe
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom  
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom  

Others
Arctic  
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA  
Canada, Mexico, USA  

South America
Brazil  
Bolivia, Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
-  
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia  

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Slate vs Taconite 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 Taconite 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. Taconite is a low-grade iron ore which belongs to sedimentary rock and containing about 27% iron and 51% silica. 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 Taconite information and Slate vs Taconite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Slate vs Taconite 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 Taconite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Taconite. Learn more about Slate vs Taconite 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 Taconite include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Taconite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Taconite include As dimension stone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..

More about Slate and Taconite

Here you can know more about Slate and Taconite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Taconite 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 Taconite includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Slate vs Taconite, 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, Taconite is available in red, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Taconite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Taconite. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Taconite is 5.5-6. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Taconite are Iron formation. 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 Taconite is white. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Taconite is 3.20 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 Taconite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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