Gneiss

Blueschist

Gneiss vs Blueschist

Gneiss

Blueschist

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks

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

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

Unknown

USA

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

Edgar Bailey

1.3 Etymology

From the Middle High German verb gneist (to spark; so called because the rock glitters)

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Banded, Foliated, Platy

Foliated

2.2 Color

Black, Brown, Pink, Red, White

Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

2.5 Appearance

Foliated

Dull and Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Jewelry, Tombstones, Used in aquariums

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

4 Types

4.1 Types

Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss.

Not Available

4.2 Features

Generally rough to touch, Is one of the oldest rock

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

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Konark Sun Temple in India, Washington Monument, US

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Not Yet Used

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Not Applicable

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Not Used

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Not Used

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Not Yet Used

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Gneiss is a high grade metamorphic rock i.e. it has been subjected to higher temperatures and pressures than schist. It is formed by the metamorphosis of Gneiss forms from volcanic rock, shale or granitie.

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.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon

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

5.2.2 Compound Content

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

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

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Impact Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

73.5-4

1 7

6.1.2 Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Irregular

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

White

White to Grey

6.1.5 Porosity

Very Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

125.00 N/mm²NA

0.15 450

6.1.8 Cleavage

Poor

Slaty

6.1.9 Toughness

1.2

1.5

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.5-2.73-3.2

0 8.4

6.1.11 Transparency

Translucent to Opaque

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.6-2.9 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

NANA

0.14 3.2

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia

Japan, Turkey

7.1.2 Africa

Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo

Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom

France, Greece, Iceland

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA

USA

7.2.2 South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Not Yet Found

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria

New Zealand

Gneiss vs Blueschist 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 Gneiss and Blueschist Reserves. Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks. Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature. 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 Gneiss vs Blueschist information and Gneiss vs Blueschist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Gneiss vs Blueschist 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. Gneiss vs Blueschist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Gneiss and Properties of Blueschist. Learn more about Gneiss vs Blueschist in the next section. The interior uses of Gneiss include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Blueschist include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Gneiss and Blueschist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Gneiss in construction industry include As dimension stone and that of Blueschist include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Gneiss and Blueschist

Here you can know more about Gneiss and Blueschist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Gneiss and Blueschist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Gneiss includes Biotite, Chlorite, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz, Quartzite, Silica, Zircon and mineral content of Blueschist includes Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Gneiss vs Blueschist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Gneiss is available in black, brown, pink, red, white colors whereas, Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. Appearance of Gneiss is Foliated and that of Blueschist is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Gneiss vs Blueschist. The hardness of Gneiss is 7 and that of Blueschist is 3.5-4. The types of Gneiss are Augen Gneiss, Henderson Gneiss, Lewisian Gneiss, Archean and Proterozoic Gneiss. whereas types of Blueschist are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Gneiss is white while that of Blueschist is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Gneiss is Not Available and that of Blueschist is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Gneiss is heat resistant, pressure resistant, scratch resistant, wear resistant whereas Blueschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant.