Blueschist

Cataclasite

Blueschist and Cataclasite

Blueschist

Cataclasite

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Definition

Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature

Cataclasite is a type of cataclastic rock that is formed by fracturing and comminution during faulting. It is normally cohesive and non-foliated, consisting of angular clasts in a finer-grained matrix

History

Origin

USA

Swiss Alps, Europe

Discoverer

Edgar Bailey

Michael Tellinger

Etymology

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

From the Italian word cataclasi

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Foliated

Clastic

Color

Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue

Brown, Green, White, Yellow

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Decorative Aggregates, Homes

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

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

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones

Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork

Types

Metamorphic rock

Protocataclasite, Mesocataclasite, Ultracataclasite and Foliated cataclasite

Features

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Easily splits into thin plates, Is one of the oldest rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Blueschist forms due to the metamorphism of basalt and other rocks with similar composition at high pressures and low temperatures and approximately corresponding to a depth of 15 to 30 kilometers and 200 to 500 °C.

Cataclasiste rocks mainly form by pressure deep under the Earth's surface, from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

Composition

Mineral Content

Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

Albite, Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyroxene, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Silicon Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Coastal Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

3.5-43-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine to Medium Grained

Fine Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White to Grey

Black

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Dull

Vitreous

Compressive Strength

220.00 N/mm²50.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

3-3.22.1

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Translucent to Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³2.9-3.1 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Japan, Turkey

China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, South Africa

Europe

France, Greece, Iceland

England, Finland, France, Spain, United Kingdom

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

Canada, USA

South America

Argentina, Colombia

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

Central Australia, Western Australia

All about Blueschist and Cataclasite Properties

Know all about Blueschist and Cataclasite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Blueschist and Cataclasite belong to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Blueschist is Foliated whereas that of Cataclasite is Clastic. Blueschist appears Dull and Banded and Cataclasite appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Blueschist is dull while that of Cataclasite is vitreous. Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors whereas Cataclasite is available in brown, green, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Blueschist and Cataclasite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, curling, tombstones.