Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
Oil Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil is extracted
History
Origin
USA
-
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
Unknown
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From Old English scealu in its base sense of thing that divides or separate
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Sedimentary 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
Splintery
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Dull and Banded
Muddy
Architecture
Interior Uses
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
-
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
-
Other Architectural Uses
-
-
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Serves as an Oil and Gas Reservoir rock
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
An Oil and Gas Reservoir
Types
Metamorphic rock
Carbonate-rich Shale, Siliceous Shale and Cannel Shale
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Present
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.
Oil Shale forms on the beds of seas and lakes and its formation starts with the organic debris settling and accumulating at the bottom of a lake or sea which are then transformed into rock with the help of high temperature and pressure.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium
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, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-42-3
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Very fine-grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
-
Streak
White to Grey
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Dull
Dull
Compressive Strength
220.00 N/mm2-
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
Slaty
Toughness
1.5
2.6
Specific Gravity
3-3.22.2-2.8
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm32.4-2.8 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.39 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Turkey
Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Jordan, Russia, Syria, Thailand, Turkey
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Others
-
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
-
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia