Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
Hornfels is a metamorphic rock formed by the contact between mudstone or other clay rich rock, and a hot igneous body, and represents a heat altered equivalent of the original rock
History
Origin
USA
New Zealand
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From German which means hornstone
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Soft Rock
Family
Group
-
-
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated
Granular, Platy
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Brown, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Reddish Brown
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Dull
Architecture
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
-
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork
Types
Metamorphic rock
Biotite hornfels
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Smooth to touch
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.
Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Hornfels is formed 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
Andalusite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Fe, Mg
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-42-3
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Fine Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
White to Grey
-
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Shiny
Compressive Strength
220.00 N/mm25.80 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
Perfect
Toughness
1.5
-
Specific Gravity
3-3.23.4-3.9
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm30.25-0.30 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
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Turkey
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, North Korea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Cameroon, East Africa, Tanzania, Western Africa
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
United Kingdom
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
-
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia