Obsidian

Blueschist

Obsidian vs Blueschist

Obsidian

Blueschist

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Definition

Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth

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

History

Origin

Ethiopia

USA

Discoverer

Obsius

Edgar Bailey

Etymology

From Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) (stone) of Obsius

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

Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Glassy

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

Shiny

Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

Garden Decoration

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Industry

Construction Industry

Arrowheads, Cutting Tool, Knives, Scrapers, Spear Points

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Surgery

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Mirror, Used in aquariums

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

Types

Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian

Metamorphic rock

Features

Blocks negativity, Helps to protect against depression

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

When the lava is released from volcano, it undergoes a very rapid cooling which freezes the mechanisms of crystallization. The result is a volcanic glass with a uniform smooth texture.

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

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, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

5-5.53.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

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

Obsidian 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 Obsidian and Blueschist Reserves. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock. It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. 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 Obsidian vs Blueschist information and Obsidian vs Blueschist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Obsidian and Blueschist

Here you can know more about Obsidian and Blueschist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Obsidian and Blueschist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Obsidian includes 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 Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Obsidian vs Blueschist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Obsidian 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. Appearance of Obsidian is Shiny and that of Blueschist is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Obsidian vs Blueschist. The hardness of Obsidian is 5-5.5 and that of Blueschist is 3.5-4. The types of Obsidian are Fireworks Obsidian, Mahogany, Sheen Obsidian, Snowflake obsidian and Velvet Peacock Obsidian whereas types of Blueschist are Metamorphic rock. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Obsidian is white while that of Blueschist is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Obsidian is 0.92 kJ/Kg K and that of Blueschist is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Obsidian is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Blueschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant.