Phyllite

Litchfieldite

Phyllite and Litchfieldite

Phyllite

Litchfieldite

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Definition

Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with a well-developed laminar structure, and is intermediate between slate and schist rocks

Litchfieldite is a rare igneous rock which is coarse-grained, foliated and a variety of nepheline syenite, sometimes also called as nepheline syenite gneiss or gneissic nepeheline syenite

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Unknown

Bayley

Etymology

From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1

From its occurrence at Litchfield, Maine, USA

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Plutonic

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty

Granular

Color

Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey

Brown, Buff, Cream, Green, Grey, Pink, White

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Crinkled or Wavy

Banded and Foilated

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Making natural cement, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Production of Glass and Ceramics

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates

Creating Artwork

Types

Phyllite

Borolanite and Litchfieldite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

Application of acids on the surface causes cloudy frosting, Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Dissolves in hydrochloric acid, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Phyllite is a metamorphic rock which is formed by regional metamorphism of argillaceous sediments since their cleavage arose due to deviatoric stress.

Litchfieldite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Alusite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc, Zircon

Albite, Amphibole, Biotite, Cancrinite, Feldspar, Hornblende, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Sodalite

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

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1-25.5-6

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Conchoidal to Uneven

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Phyllitic

Greasy to Dull

Compressive Strength

50.00 N/mm²150.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Crenulation and Pervasive

Toughness

1.2

Specific Gravity

2.72-2.732.6

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.18-3.3 g/cm³2.6 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.79 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

South Africa

Europe

Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Finland, Norway, Portugal

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

Canada

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Phyllite and Litchfieldite Properties

Know all about Phyllite and Litchfieldite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Phyllite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Litchfieldite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Phyllite is Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty whereas that of Litchfieldite is Granular. Phyllite appears Crinkled or Wavy and Litchfieldite appears Banded and Foilated. The luster of Phyllite is phyllitic while that of Litchfieldite is greasy to dull. Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors whereas Litchfieldite is available in brown, buff, cream, green, grey, pink, white colors. The commercial uses of Phyllite and Litchfieldite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, writing slates.