Schist

Phyllite

Schist and Phyllite

Schist

Phyllite

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Definition

Schist is a medium grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet like grains in a preferred orientation

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

History

Origin

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

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

Texture

Foliated, Platy

Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver

Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered and Shiny

Crinkled or Wavy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, 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

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Used in aquariums, Writing Slates

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates

Types

Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.

Phyllite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Schist formed by dynamic metamorphism at high temperatures and pressures that aligns the grains of mica, hornblende and other elongated minerals into thin layers.

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

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

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

Compound Content

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-41-2

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Shiny

Phyllitic

Compressive Strength

150.00 N/mm²50.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Crenulation and Pervasive

Toughness

1.5

1.2

Specific Gravity

2.5-2.92.72-2.73

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.18-3.3 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.70 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water 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

Europe

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

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

All about Schist and Phyllite Properties

Know all about Schist and Phyllite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Schist and Phyllite belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Schist is Foliated, Platy whereas that of Phyllite is Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty. Schist appears Layered and Shiny and Phyllite appears Crinkled or Wavy. The luster of Schist is shiny while that of Phyllite is phyllitic. Schist is available in black, blue, brown, dark brown, green, grey, silver colors whereas Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Schist are used in aquariums, writing slates and that of Phyllite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, writing slates.