What is "fissility"

Fissility \Fis*sil"i*ty\, n. Quality of being fissile.

n. 1 Quality of being fissile. 2 (context geology English) The property of mudstones to split along layers, more or less parallel to the plane of bedding, thus becoming described as shales.

Fissility may refer to:

• Fissility (geology), a property of shales
• Fissility (physics), referring to a nuclear process

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Fissility or Fissionability (American English) refers to the property of rocks to split along planes of weakness into thin sheets. This is commonly observed in shales, which are sedimentary rocks, and in slates and phyllites, which are foliated metamorphic rocks. The fissility in these rocks is caused by the preferred alignment of platy phyllosilicate grains due to compaction, deformation or new mineral growth. A highly fissile rock splits easily along the cleavage.