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Blueschist vs Hornfels


Hornfels vs Blueschist


Definition

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
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

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
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
No   

Stain Resistant
No   
No   

Wind Resistant
No   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull and Banded   
Dull   

Uses

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
Not Yet Used   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   
for Road Aggregate, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

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

Types
Not Available   
Biotite hornfels   

Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   
Smooth to touch   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Fossils
Absent   
Absent   

Formation

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
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3.5-4   
2-3   

Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained   
Fine Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White to Grey   
Unknown   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Shiny   

Compressive Strength
Not Available   
5.80 N/mm2   
31

Cleavage
Slaty   
Perfect   

Toughness
1.5   
Not Yet Found   

Specific Gravity
3-3.2   
3.4-3.9   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   
0.25-0.30 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
0.84 kJ/Kg K   
15

Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   

Reserves

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
Not Yet Found   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
USA   
Canada, USA   

South America
Not Yet Found   
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New Zealand   
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Western Australia   

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Blueschist vs Hornfels Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Blueschist and Hornfels Reserves. 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. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Blueschist vs Hornfels information and Blueschist vs Hornfels characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Blueschist vs Hornfels Characteristics

Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Blueschist vs Hornfels characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Blueschist and Properties of Hornfels. Learn more about Blueschist vs Hornfels in the next section. The interior uses of Blueschist include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens whereas the interior uses of Hornfels include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Blueschist and Hornfels, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Blueschist in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone and that of Hornfels include For road aggregate, Roadstone.

More about Blueschist and Hornfels

Here you can know more about Blueschist and Hornfels. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Blueschist and Hornfels consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Blueschist includes Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz and mineral content of Hornfels includes Andalusite. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Blueschist vs Hornfels, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors whereas, Hornfels is available in brown, dark greenish - grey, green, reddish brown colors. Appearance of Blueschist is Dull and Banded and that of Hornfels is Dull. Properties of rock is another aspect for Blueschist vs Hornfels. The hardness of Blueschist is 3.5-4 and that of Hornfels is 2-3. The types of Blueschist are Not Available whereas types of Hornfels are Biotite hornfels. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Blueschist is white to grey while that of Hornfels is unknown. The specific heat capacity of Blueschist is Not Available and that of Hornfels is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Blueschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Hornfels is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant.

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