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Phyllite and Pumice


Pumice and Phyllite


Definition

Definition
Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with a well-developed laminar structure, and is intermediate between slate and schist rocks  
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals  

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown  
Spain  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1  
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex  

Class
Metamorphic Rocks  
Igneous Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Soft Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable  
Volcanic  

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock  

Texture

Texture
Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty  
Vesicular  

Color
Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey  
Beige, Colourless, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey  

Maintenance
More  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
No  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
No  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
No  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
Yes  

Appearance
Crinkled or Wavy  
Vesicular  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration  
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration  

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration  
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone  

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing, Powder  

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, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks  

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used  
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture  
Artifacts  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates  
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums  

Types

Types
Not Available  
Scoria  

Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny  
Host Rock for Lead  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used  
Not Yet Used  

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable  
Not Applicable  

Sculpture
Used  
Not Yet Used  

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available  
Not Applicable  

Pictographs
Used  
Used  

Petroglyphs
Used  
Used  

Figurines
Used  
Not Yet Used  

Fossils
Absent  
Absent  

Formation

Formation
Phyllite is a metamorphic rock which is formed by regional metamorphism of argillaceous sediments since their cleavage arose due to deviatoric stress.  
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.  

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  
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica  

Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO  
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable  
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
1-2  
6  

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Planar  

Streak
White  
White, Greenish White or Grey  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Phyllitic  
Earthy  

Compressive Strength
Not Available  
51.20 N/mm2  
26

Cleavage
Crenulation and Pervasive  
Perfect  

Toughness
1.2  
3  

Specific Gravity
2.72-2.73  
2.86  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
2.18-3.3 g/cm3  
0.25-0.3 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available  
0.87 kJ/Kg K  
14

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant  
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant  

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa  
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania  

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland  
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey  

Others
Not Yet Found  
Not Yet Found  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA  
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA  

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana  
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland  
New Zealand, Western Australia  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Phyllite and Pumice Properties

Know all about Phyllite and Pumice properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Phyllite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Pumice belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Phyllite is Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty whereas that of Pumice is Vesicular. Phyllite appears Crinkled or Wavy and Pumice appears Vesicular. The luster of Phyllite is phyllitic while that of Pumice is earthy. Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors whereas Pumice is available in beige, colourless, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors. The commercial uses of Phyllite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, writing slates and that of Pumice are as a traction material on snow-covered roads, as an abrasive in pencil erasers, fine abrasive used for polishing, manufacture of soap, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, used in aquariums.

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