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Schist and Aplite


Aplite and Schist


Definition

Definition
Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation  
Aplite is a fine-grained granite composed mainly of feldspar and quartz  

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown  
Iran  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split  
From German Aplit, from Greek haploos simple + -ite  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Plutonic  

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

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy  
Granular, Graphic  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver  
Black, Grey, Orange, Pink, White  

Maintenance
Less  
More  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Layered and Shiny  
Veined or Pebbled  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Bridges, Paving Stone, Near Swimming Pools, Office Buildings, Resorts  

Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone  
As Dimension Stone  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates  
Curling, Gemstone, Laboratory bench tops, Small Sculptures, Tombstones  

Types

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

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch  
Available in lots of colors, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Is one of the oldest rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable  
Data Not Available  

Sculpture
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable  
Data Not Available  

Pictographs
Used  
Not Used  

Petroglyphs
Used  
Not Used  

Figurines
Not Yet Used  
Used  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

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.  
Aplites belong to intrusive igneous rocks which are mostly quart and alkali feldspar and are formed from residual eutectic granitic liquids and represent the final crystallization products of magma.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc  
Amphibole, Biotite, Feldspar, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

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

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

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

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4  
6.5  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Not Available  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Shiny  
Dull to Pearly to Subvitreous  

Compressive Strength
Not Available  
130.00 N/mm2  
16

Cleavage
Slaty  
Not Available  

Toughness
1.5  
Not Available  

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9  
2.6  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  
2.6 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available  
0.79 kJ/Kg K  
16

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  
China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam  

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sardinia, Spain, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Venezuela  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  
Not Yet Found  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Schist and Aplite Properties

Know all about Schist and Aplite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Aplite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Aplite is Granular, Graphic. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Aplite appears Veined or Pebbled. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Aplite is dull to pearly to subvitreous. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Aplite is available in black, grey, orange, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Aplite are curling, gemstone, laboratory bench tops, small sculptures, tombstones.

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