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Taconite vs Slate


Slate vs Taconite


Definition

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

History
  
  

Origin
Western Australia, Minnesota  
England  

Discoverer
Newton Horace Winchell  
Abraham Gottlob Werner  

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

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Banded, Trellis  
Foliated  

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

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  
Dull  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
As a touchstone, Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork  
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  

Types

Types
Iron formation  
Phyllite, Schist, and Slate  

Features
Is one of the oldest rock  
Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Present  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
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.   
Slate is a low grade metamorphic rock that is generally formed by metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, under relatively low pressure and temperature conditions.  

Composition
  
  

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
-  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5.5-6  
3-4  

Grain Size
Large and Coarse Grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal  
Splintery  

Streak
White  
Light to dark brown  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Earthy  
Dull  

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

Cleavage
-  
Slaty  

Toughness
1.5  
1.2  

Specific Gravity
5-5.3  
2.65-2.8  

Transparency
Translucent to Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
-9999 g/cm3  
2.6-2.8 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

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

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

Africa
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania  
-  

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

Others
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge  
Arctic  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Mexico, USA  
USA  

South America
Bolivia, Brazil  
Brazil  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

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

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

More about Taconite and Slate

Here you can know more about Taconite and Slate. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Taconite and Slate consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Taconite includes Hematite, Magnetite, Quartz and mineral content of Slate includes Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Taconite vs Slate, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Taconite is available in red, reddish brown colors whereas, Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors. Appearance of Taconite is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Slate is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Taconite vs Slate. The hardness of Taconite is 5.5-6 and that of Slate is 3-4. The types of Taconite are Iron formation whereas types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Taconite is white while that of Slate is light to dark brown. The specific heat capacity of Taconite is 3.20 kJ/Kg K and that of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Taconite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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