Definition
Novaculite is a dense, hard, fine-grained, siliceous metamorpic rock which is a type of chert that breaks with conchoidal fracture
Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with a well-developed laminar structure, and is intermediate between slate and schist rocks
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Latin word novacula, for razor stone
From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Banded, Glassy, Rough, Vitreous
Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty
Color
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Red, White
Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Glassy or Pearly
Crinkled or Wavy
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, Garden Decoration
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone, Spear Points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons
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
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Gemstone, In aquifers, In fire-starting tools, Jewelry, Manufacture of tools, Pebbles are used in ball mills to grind in ceramics industry, To determine the gold content of jewelry
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates
Types
Not Available
Not Available
Features
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates, Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate
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
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Used
Figurines
Not Yet Used
Used
Formation
Novaculite forms when microcrystals of silicon dioxide grow within soft sediments that become limestone or chalk. The formation of Novaculite can be either of chemical or biological origin.
Phyllite is a metamorphic rock which is formed by regional metamorphism of argillaceous sediments since their cleavage arose due to deviatoric stress.
Mineral Content
Quartz, Silicon
Albite, Alusite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc, Zircon
Compound Content
Ca, Silicon Dioxide
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Not Applicable
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Waxy and Dull
Phyllitic
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Crenulation and Pervasive
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.7
2.72-2.73
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.7 g/cm3
2.18-3.3 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
China, India, Iran, Japan, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
Africa
Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
Greenland, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Mexico, USA
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
South America
Bolivia, Brazil
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland
Novaculite vs Phyllite Characteristics
Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Novaculite vs Phyllite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Novaculite and Properties of Phyllite. Learn more about Novaculite vs Phyllite in the next section. The interior uses of Novaculite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Phyllite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Novaculite and Phyllite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Novaculite in construction industry include Arrowheads, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Knives, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone, Spear points, Used to sharpen metal tools and weapons and that of Phyllite include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone.
More about Novaculite and Phyllite
Here you can know more about Novaculite and Phyllite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Novaculite and Phyllite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Novaculite includes Quartz, Silicon and mineral content of Phyllite includes Albite, Alusite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc, Zircon. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Novaculite vs Phyllite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Novaculite is available in black, brown, green, grey, red, white colors whereas, Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors. Appearance of Novaculite is Glassy or Pearly and that of Phyllite is Crinkled or Wavy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Novaculite vs Phyllite. The hardness of Novaculite is 7 and that of Phyllite is 1-2. The types of Novaculite are Not Available whereas types of Phyllite are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Novaculite is colorless while that of Phyllite is white. The specific heat capacity of Novaculite is 0.74 kJ/Kg K and that of Phyllite is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Novaculite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Phyllite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.