Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
Pantellerite is a peralkaline rhyolite. It has a higher iron and lower aluminium composition than comendite
Origin
USA
Strait of sicily
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From Pantelleria, a volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated
Eutaxitic
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Dark Greenish - Grey
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Layered and Foliated
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Not Yet Used
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Not Yet Used
Other Architectural Uses
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
NA
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
Creating Artwork
Types
Not Available
Pantelleritic Ignimbrite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
High Fe content
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Monuments
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Sculpture
Used
Not Yet Used
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Not Applicable
Pictographs
Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Used
Not Used
Figurines
Used
Not Yet Used
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.
Pantellerite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Amphibole, Feldspar, Ilmenite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Al, Fe
Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Sub-conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
Unknown
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Cleavage
Slaty
Conchoidal
Specific Gravity
3-3.2
Not Available
Transparency
Opaque
Translucent to Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Not Available
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Turkey
China, India
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Angola, Egypt, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
Others
Not Yet Found
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
Not Yet Found
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand
Central Australia, Queensland, Western Australia