Schist is often the host rock for a variety of gemstones that form in metamorphic rocks. Gem-quality garnet, kyanite, tanzanite, emerald, andalusite, sphene, sapphire, ruby, scapolite, iolite, chrysoberyl and many other gem materials are found in schist. Gem materials found in schist are often highly included. This is because their mineral crystals grow within the rock matrix, often including mineral grains of the host rock instead of replacing them or…

Schist is not a rock with numerous industrial uses. Its abundant mica grains and its schistosity make it a rock of low physical strength, usually unsuitable for use as a construction aggregate, building stone, or decorative stone. The only exception is for its use as a fill when the physical properties of the material are not…

As explained above, mica minerals such as chlorite, muscovite, and biotite are the characteristic minerals of schist. These were formed through metamorphism of the clay minerals present in the protolith. Other common minerals in schist include quartz and feldspars that are inherited from the protolith. Micas, feldspars, and quartz usually account for most of the minerals present in a…

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…

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…