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Obsidian vs Blueschist


Blueschist vs Obsidian


Definition

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  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Glassy  
Foliated  

Color
Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Red, Tan, Yellow  
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
No  
No  

Wind Resistant
No  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

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

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  
Absent  

Formation

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism  
-  

Weathering
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering  
Mechanical Weathering  

Erosion
Yes  
Yes  

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

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
5-5.5  
3.5-4  

Grain Size
-  
Fine to Medium Grained  

Fracture
Conchoidal  
Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White to Grey  

Porosity
Very Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Vitreous  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
0.15 N/mm2  
99+
220.00 N/mm2  
9

Cleavage
-  
Slaty  

Toughness
-  
1.5  

Specific Gravity
2.6-2.7  
3-3.2  

Transparency
Translucent  
Opaque  

Density
2.6 g/cm3  
2.8-2.9 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.92 kJ/Kg K  
10
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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  
New Zealand  

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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.

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