Definition
Tachylite is a vitreous form of basaltic volcanic glass. This glass is formed naturally by the rapid cooling of molten basalt
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
History
Origin
Iceland
USA
Discoverer
Unknown
Edgar Bailey
Etymology
From German Tachylite, from tachy- + Greek lutos soluble, melting
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
Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vitreous
Foliated
Color
Black, Dark Brown
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Maintenance
More
Less
Durability
Durable
Durable
Water Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Scratch Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Stain Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Wind Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Acid Resistant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Appearance
Glassy
Dull and Banded
Architecture
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Interior Decoration
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
-
Industry
Construction Industry
Cutting Tool, Knives, Landscaping, Scrapers
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Medical Industry
-
-
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Other Uses
Commercial Uses
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
Types
Volcanic glass
Metamorphic rock
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
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
Tachylite is a fine-grained, hard rock which is a type of metasomatite, essentially altered basalt. It forms with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks.
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
Feldspar, Olivine
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Compound Content
Fe, Mg
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, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
-
Weathering
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
Erosion
✔
✘
✔
✘
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Physical Properties
Hardness
5.53.5-4
1
7
👆🏻
Grain Size
Medium to Fine Coarse Grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Conchoidal
Conchoidal
Streak
Vermilion
White to Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Resinous
Dull
Compressive Strength
206.00 N/mm2220.00 N/mm2
0.15
450
👆🏻
Cleavage
-
Slaty
Toughness
-
1.5
Specific Gravity
2.43-3.2
0
8.4
👆🏻
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
3.058 g/cm32.8-2.9 g/cm3
0
1400
👆🏻
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat Capacity
0.56 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K
0.14
3.2
👆🏻
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Wear Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Cambodia, Russia, South Korea
Japan, Turkey
Africa
East Africa
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Europe
England, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Scotland, Sweden
France, Greece, Iceland
Others
Hawaii Islands
-
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
USA
USA
South America
-
-
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Victoria
New Zealand