Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein.
History
Origin
USA
Indonesia
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
Cornish Gossen
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From Cornish gossen from gos, blood from Old Cornish guit
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Family
Group
-
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated
Rough, Sandy
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Brown, Brown- Black, Gold, Green, Rust
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Dull and Banded
Architecture
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, 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
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Gemstone
Types
Metamorphic rock
Translocated gossan and Leakage gossan
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Easily splits into thin plates
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
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.
Earth movements can cause rocks to be either deeply buried or squeezed and hence the rocks are heated and put under great pressure.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Apatite, Augite, Biotite, Bronzite, Calcite, Chert, Epidote, Feldspar, Hornblende, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Sulfides, Zircon
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Fe, FeO, Silicon Dioxide, Sulphur
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
-
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-44-5
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Metallic
Compressive Strength
220.00 N/mm2-
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
-
Toughness
1.5
-
Specific Gravity
3-3.22.0
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3-9999 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.24 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Turkey
China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, South Korea
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
Albania, France, Germany, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
-
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand
New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia