Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
  
Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with a well-developed laminar structure, and is intermediate between slate and schist rocks
  
History
  
  
Origin
USA
  
Unknown
  
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
  
Unknown
  
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
  
From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1
  
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
  
Metamorphic Rocks
  
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
  
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
  
Family
  
  
Group
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
  
Texture
Foliated
  
Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty
  
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
  
Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey
  
Maintenance
Less
  
More
  
Durability
Durable
  
Durable
  
Water Resistant
No
  
No
  
Scratch Resistant
No
  
No
  
Stain Resistant
No
  
No
  
Wind Resistant
No
  
No
  
Acid Resistant
No
  
No
  
Appearance
Dull and Banded
  
Crinkled or Wavy
  
Architecture
  
  
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
  
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
  
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
  
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
  
Curbing
  
Industry
  
  
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
  
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone
  
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
  
Artifacts, Sculpture
  
Other Uses
  
  
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
  
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates
  
Types
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
  
Easily splits into thin plates, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny
  
Archaeological Significance
  
  
Monuments
Used
  
Not Yet Used
  
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
  
Not Applicable
  
Sculpture
Used
  
Used
  
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
  
Data Not Available
  
Pictographs
Used
  
Used
  
Petroglyphs
Used
  
Used
  
Figurines
Used
  
Used
  
Fossils
Absent
  
Absent
  
Formation
Blueschist forms due to the metamorphism of basalt and other rocks with similar composition at high pressures and low temperatures and approximately corresponding to a depth of 15 to 30 kilometers and 200 to 500 °C.
  
Phyllite is a metamorphic rock which is formed by regional metamorphism of argillaceous sediments since their cleavage arose due to deviatoric stress.
  
Composition
  
  
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
  
Albite, Alusite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc, Zircon
  
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
  
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
  
Transformation
  
  
Metamorphism
No
  
No
  
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
  
Not Applicable
  
Weathering
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
  
Erosion
Yes
  
Yes
  
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
  
Physical Properties
  
  
Hardness
3.5-4
  
1-2
  
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
  
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
  
Fracture
Conchoidal
  
Conchoidal
  
Streak
White to Grey
  
White
  
Porosity
Highly Porous
  
Highly Porous
  
Luster
Dull
  
Phyllitic
  
Cleavage
Slaty
  
Crenulation and Pervasive
  
Toughness
1.5
  
1.2
  
Specific Gravity
3-3.2
  
2.72-2.73
  
Transparency
Opaque
  
Opaque
  
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
  
2.18-3.3 g/cm3
  
Thermal Properties
  
  
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
  
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
  
Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  
Asia
Japan, Turkey
  
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
  
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
  
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
  
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
  
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
  
Others
Not Yet Found
  
Not Yet Found
  
Deposits in Western Continents
  
  
North America
USA
  
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
  
South America
Not Yet Found
  
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
  
Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  
Australia
New Zealand
  
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland