Tuff and Phyllite

Tuff

Phyllite

Definition

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption

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

History

Origin

Italy

Unknown

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff

From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Not Applicable

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

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

Texture

Clastic, Pyroclastic

Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow

Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Wind Resistant

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated

Crinkled or Wavy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

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

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate

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

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates

Types

Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.

Not Available

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean

Not Applicable

Sculpture

Used

Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Pictographs

Used

Petroglyphs

Used

Figurines

Used

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Tuff is formed when large masses of ash and sand which are mixed with hot gases are ejected by a volcano and avalanche rapidly down its slopes.

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

Calcite, Chlorite

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

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Yes

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Weathering

Yes

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Yes

Types of Erosion

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

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

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-6

1-2

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Phyllitic

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm²

Not Available

Cleavage

Not Available

Crenulation and Pervasive

Toughness

Not Available

1.2

Specific Gravity

2.73

2.72-2.73

Transparency

Opaque

Density

1-1.8 g/cm³

2.18-3.3 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K

Not Available

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen

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

Africa

Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

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

Others

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands

Not Yet Found

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA

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

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

Summary >>

<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Phyllite Properties

Know all about Tuff and Phyllite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff belongs to Igneous Rocks while Phyllite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Phyllite is Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Phyllite appears Crinkled or Wavy. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Phyllite is phyllitic. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Tuff are creating artwork and that of Phyllite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, writing slates.