Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation
History
Origin
-
Discoverer
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
-
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated, Platy
Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver
Maintenance
Less
Durability
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
81% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
65% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
42% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
19% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
15% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks
Appearance
Layered and Shiny
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Medical Industry
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
Famous Monuments
-
Sculpture
-
Famous Sculptures
-
Pictographs
-
Petroglyphs
-
Figurines
-
Fossils
Absent
Formation
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
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
50% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks
Types of Metamorphism
-
Weathering
✔
✘
65% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
77% - Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-4
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Streak
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Luster
Shiny
Compressive Strength
150.00 N/mm2
Rank: 22 (Overall)
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
Toughness
1.5
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.70 kJ/Kg K
Rank: 24 (Overall)
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland