Definition
Greenschist is a metamorphic rock that is formed under lowest temperatures and pressures and is usually produced by regional metamorphism
Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine
History
Origin
-
-
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From minerals such as chlorite, serpentine, and epidote, and platy minerals such as muscovite and platy serpentine which are green in color
From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks
Class
Metamorphic Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Family
Group
-
Plutonic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Foliated, Platy
Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic
Color
Dark Greenish - Grey, Green
Black to Grey, Bluish - Grey, Dark Greenish - Grey, Green, Light Greenish Grey
Maintenance
Less
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Layered and Shiny
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Architecture
Interior Uses
Bathrooms, Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Industry
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Roadstone
As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Blackboards, Manufacture of tools, Writing Slates
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones
Types
Metamorphic rock
Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites
Features
Easily splits into thin plates, Smooth to touch
Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
-
-
Famous Monuments
-
-
Sculpture
-
-
Famous Sculptures
-
-
Pictographs
-
-
Petroglyphs
-
-
Figurines
-
-
Fossils
Absent
Absent
Formation
Greenschist is medium grade metamorphic rock, formed by the metamorphosis of mudstone or shale, or some types of igneous rock, when it is subjected to higher temperatures and pressures.
Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.
Composition
Mineral Content
Alusite, Amphibole, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Serpentine, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc
Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene
Compound Content
CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, MgO, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Sulfur Trioxide
Transformation
Metamorphism
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Metamorphism
-
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
3.5-47
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Coarse Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Uneven
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Shiny
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic
Compressive Strength
160.00 N/mm2150.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
Slaty
-
Toughness
1.5
-
Specific Gravity
2.5-2.93.2-3.5
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
2.8-2.9 g/cm33.1-3.6 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam
India, Russia
Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa
South Africa
Europe
Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
Germany, Greece, Italy, Scotland, Turkey
Others
-
Greenland
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland
New Zealand, Queensland