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Slate
Slate

Phyllite
Phyllite



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Slate vs Phyllite

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Definition

Definition

Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism
Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with a well-developed laminar structure, and is intermediate between slate and schist rocks

History

Origin

England
-

Discoverer

Abraham Gottlob Werner
Unknown

Etymology

From Old French esclate, from esclat (French éclat)
From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1

Class

Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

-
-

Other Categories

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

Texture

Texture

Foliated
Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Light to Dark Grey, Purple, Red, Shades of Blue
Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Less
More

Durability

Durable
Durable

Water Resistant

Scratch Resistant

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull
Crinkled or Wavy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens, Stair Treads
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing
Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone
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, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Blackboards, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Standard material for the bed of Billiard table, Standard material for the beds of Pool and Snooker table, Tombstones, Used in aquariums, Writing Slates
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates

Types

Types

Phyllite, Schist, and Slate
Phyllite

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock
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
Absent

Formation

Formation

Slate is a low grade metamorphic rock that is generally formed by metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, under relatively low pressure and temperature conditions.
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

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

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-

Weathering

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Types of Erosion

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3-41-2
1 7
👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Splintery
Conchoidal

Streak

Light to dark brown
White

Porosity

Less Porous
Highly Porous

Luster

Dull
Phyllitic

Compressive Strength

30.00 N/mm250.00 N/mm2
0.15 450
👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty
Crenulation and Pervasive

Toughness

1.2
1.2

Specific Gravity

2.65-2.82.72-2.73
0 8.4
👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque
Opaque

Density

2.6-2.8 g/cm32.18-3.3 g/cm3
0 1400
👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.76 kJ/Kg K0.79 kJ/Kg K
0.14 3.2
👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

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

Africa

-
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Others

Arctic
-

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

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

South America

Brazil
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

-
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

Slate 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 Slate and Phyllite Reserves. Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. 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 Slate vs Phyllite information and Slate vs Phyllite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

Slate 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. Slate vs Phyllite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Slate and Properties of Phyllite. Learn more about Slate vs Phyllite in the next section. The interior uses of Slate include Bathrooms, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior decoration, Kitchens and Stair treads whereas the interior uses of Phyllite include Decorative aggregates, Floor tiles, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Slate and Phyllite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Slate in construction industry include As dimension stone 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 Slate and Phyllite

Here you can know more about Slate and Phyllite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Slate and Phyllite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Slate includes Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Graphite, Hematite, Kaolinite, Magnetite, Pyrite, Tourmaline, Zircon 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 Slate vs Phyllite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Slate is available in black, brown, buff, green, light to dark grey, purple, red, shades of blue colors whereas, Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors. Appearance of Slate is Dull and that of Phyllite is Crinkled or Wavy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Slate vs Phyllite. The hardness of Slate is 3-4 and that of Phyllite is 1-2. The types of Slate are Phyllite, Schist, and Slate whereas types of Phyllite are Phyllite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Slate is light to dark brown while that of Phyllite is white. The specific heat capacity of Slate is 0.76 kJ/Kg K and that of Phyllite is 0.79 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Slate is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Phyllite is heat resistant, pressure resistant, water resistant.