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Soapstone vs Schist


Schist vs Soapstone


Definition

Definition
It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc   
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation   

History
  
  

Origin
USA   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap   
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split   

Class
Metamorphic Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Polished   
Foliated, Platy   

Color
Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey   
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull, Banded and Foilated   
Layered and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration   

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories   
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)   
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.   

Features
Host Rock for Lead   
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.   
Schist formed by dynamic metamorphism at high temperatures and pressures that aligns the grains of mica, hornblende and other elongated minerals into thin layers.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc   

Compound Content
CaO, Mg, MgO   
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
No   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Not Applicable   
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
No   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Not Applicable   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1   
3.5-4   

Grain Size
Fine Grained   
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
Black   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Greasy   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
225.00 N/mm2   
7
Not Available   

Cleavage
Perfect   
Slaty   

Toughness
1   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
2.86   
2.5-2.9   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.88 kJ/Kg K   
13
Not Available   

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand   
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa   
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa   

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

Others
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Colombia   
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland   
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland   

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Soapstone vs Schist 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 Soapstone and Schist Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation. 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 Soapstone vs Schist information and Soapstone vs Schist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Soapstone vs Schist 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. Soapstone vs Schist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Soapstone and Properties of Schist. Learn more about Soapstone vs Schist in the next section. The interior uses of Soapstone include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Soapstone and Schist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Soapstone in construction industry include Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories and that of Schist include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Soapstone and Schist

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Schist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Schist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz and mineral content of Schist includes Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Schist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas, Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Schist is Layered and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Schist. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Schist is 3.5-4. The types of Soapstone are Not Available whereas types of Schist are Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Soapstone is black while that of Schist is white. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Schist is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant whereas Schist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.

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