Soapstone

Blueschist

Soapstone vs Blueschist

Soapstone

Blueschist

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1 Definition

1.1 Definition

It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc

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

1.2 History

1.2.1 Origin

USA

1.2.2 Discoverer

Unknown

Edgar Bailey

1.3 Etymology

From 17th century, because of its greasy feel and use like a soap

From French schiste, Greek skhistos i.e. split

1.4 Class

Metamorphic Rocks

1.4.1 Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock

1.5 Family

1.5.1 Group

Not Applicable

1.6 Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

2 Texture

2.1 Texture

Polished

Foliated

2.2 Color

Black, Black to Grey, Green, Grey

Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue

2.3 Maintenance

Less

2.4 Durability

Durable

2.4.1 Water Resistant

✔ ✘

81% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

81% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.2 Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

86% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.3 Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

42% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

66% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.4 Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

19% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

49% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.4.5 Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

15% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

48% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

2.5 Appearance

Dull, Banded and Foilated

Dull and Banded

3 Uses

3.1 Architecture

3.1.1 Interior Uses

Bathrooms, Decorative Aggregates, Homes, Interior Decoration

Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens

3.1.2 Exterior Uses

As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

3.1.3 Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Not Yet Used

3.2 Industry

3.2.1 Construction Industry

Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone

3.2.2 Medical Industry

Taken as a Supplement for Calcium or Magnesium

Not Yet Used

3.3 Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

3.4 Other Uses

3.4.1 Commercial Uses

Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Production of Lime, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

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

4 Types

4.1 Types

Not Available

4.2 Features

Host Rock for Lead

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

4.3 Archaeological Significance

4.3.1 Monuments

Used

4.3.2 Famous Monuments

Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Stonehenge in English county of Wiltshire

Data Not Available

4.3.3 Sculpture

Used

4.3.4 Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

4.3.5 Pictographs

Used

4.3.6 Petroglyphs

Used

4.3.7 Figurines

Used

4.4 Fossils

Absent

5 Formation

5.1 Formation

Soapstone is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock and it is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich inmagnesium.

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.

5.2 Composition

5.2.1 Mineral Content

Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz

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

5.2.2 Compound Content

CaO, Mg, MgO

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

5.3 Transformation

5.3.1 Metamorphism

✔ ✘

50% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

97% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.2 Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Not Applicable

5.3.3 Weathering

✔ ✘

65% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

99% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.4 Types of Weathering

Not Applicable

Mechanical Weathering

5.3.5 Erosion

✔ ✘

77% Metamorphic Rocks Rocks have it !

✔ ✘

92% Igneous Rocks Rocks have it !

5.3.6 Types of Erosion

Not Applicable

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

6 Properties

6.1 Physical Properties

6.1.1 Hardness

3.5-4

6.1.2 Grain Size

Fine Grained

Fine to Medium Grained

6.1.3 Fracture

Conchoidal

6.1.4 Streak

Black

White to Grey

6.1.5 Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

6.1.6 Luster

Greasy

Dull

6.1.7 Compressive Strength

Flint

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▶

▼

225.00 N/mm²

Rank: 7 (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Obsidian

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▶

175 (Granite)

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6.1.8 Cleavage

Perfect

Slaty

6.1.9 Toughness

1.5

6.1.10 Specific Gravity

2.86

3-3.2

6.1.11 Transparency

Opaque

6.1.12 Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³

6.2 Thermal Properties

6.2.1 Specific Heat Capacity

Banded iron for..

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▶

▼

0.88 kJ/Kg K

Rank: 13 (Overall)▶

Not Available

Rank: N/A (Overall)▶

▲

Granulite

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▶

1.09 (Travertine)

◀ ▶ ADD ⊕

6.2.2 Resistance

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant

Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant

7 Reserves

7.1 Deposits in Eastern Continents

7.1.1 Asia

China, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand

Japan, Turkey

7.1.2 Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Western Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa

7.1.3 Europe

Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

France, Greece, Iceland

7.1.4 Others

Not Yet Found

7.2 Deposits in Western Continents

7.2.1 North America

Canada, USA

USA

7.2.2 South America

Colombia

Not Yet Found

7.3 Deposits in Oceania Continent

7.3.1 Australia

Central Australia, New Zealand, Queensland

New Zealand

Soapstone 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 Soapstone and Blueschist Reserves. It is a metamorphic magnesium rich rock because it is composed of the mineral talc. 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 Soapstone vs Blueschist information and Soapstone vs Blueschist characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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

More about Soapstone and Blueschist

Here you can know more about Soapstone and Blueschist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Soapstone and Blueschist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Soapstone includes Albite, Apatite, Biotite, Calcite, Carbonate, Clay Minerals, Hornblende, Ilmenite, Micas, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz 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 Metamorphic Rocks. When we have to compare Soapstone vs Blueschist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Soapstone is available in black, black to grey, green, grey colors whereas, Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. Appearance of Soapstone is Dull, Banded and Foilated and that of Blueschist is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Soapstone vs Blueschist. The hardness of Soapstone is 1 and that of Blueschist is 3.5-4. The types of Soapstone are Not Available whereas types of Blueschist are Not Available. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Soapstone is black while that of Blueschist is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Soapstone is 0.88 kJ/Kg K and that of Blueschist is Not Available. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Soapstone is heat resistant, pressure resistant whereas Blueschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant.