ELS Setenta,Cj

(11) STM-5
15th of January, 2023

𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊
𝕬 𝖓𝖔𝖓-𝖋𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖕𝖍𝖎𝖈 𝖗𝖔𝖈𝖐𝖘
𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓢𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓼𝓽 ?
Schist is a foliated metamorphic rock made up of plate-shaped mineral grains
that are large enough to see with an unaided eye. It usually forms on a continental
side of a convergent plate boundary where sedimentary rocks, such as shales and
mudstones, have been subjected to compressive forces, heat, and chemical
activity. This metamorphic environment is intense enough to convert the clay
minerals of the sedimentary rocks into platy metamorphic minerals such as
muscovite, biotite, and chlorite. To become schist, a shale must be
metamorphosed in steps through slate and then through phyllite. If the schist is
metamorphosed further, it might become a granular rock known as gneiss.

A rock does not need a specific mineral composition to be called "schist." It only
needs to contain enough platy metamorphic minerals in alignment to exhibit distinct
foliation. This texture allows the rock to be broken into thin slabs along the alignment
direction of the platy mineral grains. This type of breakage is known as schistosity.
In rare cases the platy metamorphic minerals are not derived from the clay minerals
of a shale. The platy minerals can be graphite, talc, or hornblende from
carbonaceous, basaltic, or other sources.

𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓭𝓸𝓮𝓼 𝓼𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶 ?

Schist is a rock that has been exposed to a moderate level of heat and a
moderate level of pressure. Let’s trace its formation from its protoliths - the
sedimentary rocks from which it forms. These are usually shales or mudstones.
In the convergent plate boundary environment, heat and chemical activity
transform the clay minerals of shales and mudstones into platy mica
minerals such as muscovite, biotite, and chlorite. The directed pressure
pushes the transforming clay minerals from their random orientations into a
common parallel alignment where the long axes of the platy minerals are
oriented perpendicular to the direction of the compressive force. This
transformation of minerals marks the point in the rock’s history when it is no
longer sedimentary but becomes the low-grade metamorphic rock known as
"slate."
Slate is has a dull luster, it can be split into thin sheets
along the parallel mineral alignments, and the thin
sheets will ring when they are dropped onto a hard
surface. If the slate is exposed to additional
metamorphism, the mica grains in the rock will begin to
grow. The grains will elongate in a direction that is
perpendicular to the direction of compressive force.
This alignment and increase in mica grain size gives the
rock a silky luster. At that point the rock can be called a
"phyllite." When the platy mineral grains have grown
large enough to be seen with the unaided eye, the rock
can be called "schist." Additional heat, pressure, and
chemical activity might convert the schist into a
granular metamorphic rock known as "gneiss."

Source: https://geology.com/rocks/Schist.shtml