Home

Igneous Rocks + -

Fossil Rocks + -

Metamorphic Rocks + -

Durable Rocks + -

Medium Grained Rocks + -

Compare Rocks


Schist vs Phyllite


Phyllite vs Schist


Definition

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
  
  

Discoverer
Unknown   
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
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Foliated, Platy   
Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty   

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Silver   
Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
No   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

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
Not Yet Used   
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
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts   
Artifacts, Sculpture   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Used in aquariums, Writing Slates   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates   

Types

Types
Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist.   
Not Available   

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
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

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   
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4   
1-2   

Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Shiny   
Phyllitic   

Cleavage
Slaty   
Crenulation and Pervasive   

Toughness
1.5   
1.2   

Specific Gravity
2.5-2.9   
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, 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   
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam   

Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa   
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa   

Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland   
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
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA   
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA   

South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana   
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
<< All

Schist vs Phyllite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Schist and Phyllite Reserves. 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. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Schist vs Phyllite information and Schist vs Phyllite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

Schist 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. Schist vs Phyllite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Schist and Properties of Phyllite. Learn more about Schist vs Phyllite in the next section. The interior uses of Schist include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Phyllite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Schist and Phyllite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Schist in construction industry include As dimension stone, Building houses or walls, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Roadstone 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 Schist and Phyllite

Here you can know more about Schist and Phyllite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Schist and Phyllite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Schist includes Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc 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 Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Schist vs Phyllite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. 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. Appearance of Schist is Layered and Shiny and that of Phyllite is Crinkled or Wavy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Schist vs Phyllite. The hardness of Schist is 3.5-4 and that of Phyllite is 1-2. The types of Schist are Mica Schists, Calc-Silicate Schists, Graphite Schists, Blueschists, Whiteschists, Greenschists, Hornblende Schist, Talc Schist, Chlorite Schist, Garnet Schist, Glaucophane schist. 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 Schist and Phyllite is white. The specific heat capacity of Schist is Not Available 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.Schist is impact resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant whereas Phyllite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.

Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

» More Metamorphic Rocks

Compare Metamorphic Rocks

» More Compare Metamorphic Rocks