Definition
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
A sedimentary rock, deposit of a submarine turbidity currents and are composed of layered particles
History
Origin
USA
European Foreland Basins
Discoverer
Edgar Bailey
Arnold H. Bouma
Etymology
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split
From Medieval Latin turbiditas, from Latin turbidus (turbid). Turbidity current is from 1939
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
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated
Mud-rich, Sandy
Color
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Black, Brown, Green, Grey, Pink
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
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration
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, Making natural cement
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Types
Metamorphic rock
Sedimentary rock
Features
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
High silica content, Host Rock for Lead
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.
Turbidite is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock as it flows. These particles then settle down and are subjected to high temperature and pressures hence forming Turbidite.
Composition
Mineral Content
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Coesite, Quartz, Sand
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
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, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-43
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Fine to Medium Grained
Fine to Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Splintery
Streak
White to Grey
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Very Less Porous
Luster
Dull
Metallic
Compressive Strength
220.00 N/mm2200.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
Disjunctive
Toughness
1.5
2.4
Specific Gravity
3-3.22.46-2.73
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm31.6-2.5 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.92 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Japan, Turkey
-
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Western Africa
Europe
France, Greece, Iceland
Austria, Belarus, Romania, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Others
-
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
Canada, USA
South America
-
Brazil, Colombia
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand
New Zealand, Western Australia