Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
Hornblendite is a type of igneous plutonic rock consisting mainly of amphibole hornblende and is a type of Amphibolite rock
History
Origin
USA
-
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From German, Horn horn + blende
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
-
Plutonic
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated
Banded, Foliated, Massive
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Black, Brown, Green, Grey
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Foliated
Architecture
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
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, Building houses or walls, Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Landscaping, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Roadstone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Metamorphic rock
Hornblende Gabbro and Hornblende Peridotite
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Clasts are smooth to touch, Matrix variable, Surfaces are often shiny
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.
Hornblendite 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.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Amphibole, Calcite, Hornblade, Magnetite, Plagioclase, Wollastonite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-46-7
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Irregular to Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Vitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
220.00 N/mm2250.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
-
Toughness
1.5
2.3
Specific Gravity
3-3.22.5
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm32.85-3.07 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, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Turkey
Russia, Turkey
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
Germany, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Poland
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
-
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand
South Australia, Western Australia