Felsite

Blueschist

Felsite and Blueschist

Felsite

Blueschist

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Definition

Felsite is a very fine grained volcanic rock that may or may not contain larger crystals and light colored rock that typically requires petrographic examination or chemical analysis for more precise definition

Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Unknown

Edgar Bailey

Etymology

From English feldspar and -ite

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Igneous Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Volcanic

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous

Foliated

Color

Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow

Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Paving Stone, Garden Decoration

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Mirror, Jewelry

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones

Types

Igneous rock

Metamorphic rock

Features

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch, Splintery, Very fine grained rock

Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Absent

Formation

Felsite 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.

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.

Composition

Mineral Content

Feldspar, Iron Oxides

Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz

Compound Content

Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.53.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Vitreous

Dull

Compressive Strength

0.15 N/mm²220.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.6-2.73-3.2

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Translucent

Opaque

Density

2.6 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia

Japan, Turkey

Africa

Kenya

Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa

Europe

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey

France, Greece, Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Mexico, USA

USA

South America

Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New Zealand

All about Felsite and Blueschist Properties

Know all about Felsite and Blueschist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Felsite belongs to Igneous Rocks while Blueschist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Felsite is Arborescent Patterned, Vitreous whereas that of Blueschist is Foliated. Felsite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Blueschist appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Felsite is vitreous while that of Blueschist is dull. Felsite is available in black, blue, brown, green, orange, red, tan, yellow colors whereas Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Felsite are mirror, jewelry and that of Blueschist are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, curling, tombstones.