Shale

Blueschist

Shale and Blueschist

Shale

Blueschist

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Definition

Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles

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

History

Origin

USA

Discoverer

Johann Gottlob Lehmann

Edgar Bailey

Etymology

From German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Clastic, Splintery

Foliated

Color

Black, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Red, Yellow

Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Muddy

Dull and Banded

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Pottery

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

Types

Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale

Metamorphic rock

Features

Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock

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

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Famous Monuments

Jantar Mantar in India

Sculpture

Famous Sculptures

Pictographs

Petroglyphs

Figurines

Fossils

Present

Absent

Formation

Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.

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, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides

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

Compound Content

Ca, Fe, Mg, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of 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

33.5-4

1 7

👆🏻

Grain Size

Very fine-grained

Fine to Medium Grained

Fracture

Conchoidal

Streak

White

White to Grey

Porosity

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull

Compressive Strength

95.00 N/mm²220.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.6

1.5

Specific Gravity

2.2-2.83-3.2

0 8.4

👆🏻

Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.4-2.8 g/cm³2.8-2.9 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.39 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

Bangladesh, China, India, Russia

Japan, Turkey

Africa

Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania

Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa

Europe

Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

France, Greece, Iceland

Others

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

USA

South America

Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia

New Zealand

All about Shale and Blueschist Properties

Know all about Shale and Blueschist properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Shale belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Blueschist belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Shale is Clastic, Splintery whereas that of Blueschist is Foliated. Shale appears Muddy and Blueschist appears Dull and Banded. The luster of Shale and Blueschist is dull. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. The commercial uses of Shale are creating artwork, pottery and that of Blueschist are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, curling, tombstones.