Home
Compare Rocks


Greywacke and Blueschist


Blueschist and Greywacke


Definition

Definition
Greywacke is defined as a dark coarse-grained sandstone rock which contains more than 15 per cent clay   
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature   

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
USA   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Edgar Bailey   

Etymology
From German Grauwacke, from grau grey + wacke   
From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Metamorphic Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Clastic   
Foliated   

Color
Beige, Black, Brown, Colourless, Cream, Dark Brown, Green, Grey, Light Green, Light to Dark Grey, Pink, Red, White, Yellow   
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue   

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
No   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
No   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
No   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Dull   
Dull and Banded   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration   
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone   
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Whetstones   
Not Yet Used   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar   
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture, Small Figurines   
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
As armour rock for sea walls, Petroleum reservoirs, Sea Defence, Tombstones   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones   

Types

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Generally rough to touch, Non-vesicular, Veined   
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Graywacke rock is a type of sedimentary rock, which is also known as immature sandstone, which is indurated, dark grey and consisting of poorly sorted angular to sub-angular, sand-sized grains.   
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
Augite, Biotite, Calcite, Chlorite, Clay, Clay Minerals, Feldspar, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz   
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, NaCl, CaO, Chromium(III) Oxide, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, Magnesium Carbonate, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, 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   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
No   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering   
Mechanical Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Wind Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6-7   
3.5-4   

Grain Size
Angular and Fine   
Fine to Medium Grained   

Fracture
Conchoidal   
Conchoidal   

Streak
White   
White to Grey   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Highly Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull   

Cleavage
Perfect   
Slaty   

Toughness
2.6   
1.5   

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8   
3-3.2   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.6-2.61 g/cm3   
2.8-2.9 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan   
Japan, Turkey   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
France, Greece, Iceland   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Canada, USA   
USA   

South America
Brazil   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand   
New Zealand   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Greywacke and Blueschist Properties

Know all about Greywacke and Blueschist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Greywacke belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Blueschist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Greywacke is Clastic whereas that of Blueschist is Foliated. Greywacke appears Dull and Blueschist appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Greywacke and Blueschist is dull. Greywacke is available in beige, black, brown, colourless, cream, dark brown, green, grey, light green, light to dark grey, pink, red, white, yellow colors whereas Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Greywacke are as armour rock for sea walls, petroleum reservoirs, sea defence, tombstones and that of Blueschist are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, curling, tombstones.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Fossil Rocks

Fossil Rocks

» More Fossil Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks