Definition
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption
Blueschist is a metamorphic rock which is generally blue in color and is formed under conditions of high pressure and low temperature
Discoverer
Unknown
Edgar Bailey
Etymology
From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff
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
Group
Volcanic
Not Applicable
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Clastic, Pyroclastic
Foliated
Color
Brown, Grey, Yellow
Blue, Bluish - Grey, Purple, Shades of Blue
Durability
Durable
Durable
Appearance
Dull, Vesicular and Foilated
Dull and Banded
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Kitchens
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings, Paving Stone
Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Not Yet Used
Construction Industry
Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate
As Dimension Stone, Cobblestones, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Curling, Tombstones
Types
Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.
Not Available
Features
Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust
Has High structural resistance against erosion and climate, Very fine grained rock
Archaeological Significance
Famous Monuments
Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Formation
Tuff is formed when large masses of ash and sand which are mixed with hot gases are ejected by a volcano and avalanche rapidly down its slopes.
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.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Chlorite
Albite, Chlorite, Epidote, Garnet, Glaucophane, Lawsonite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz
Compound Content
Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, FeO, Potassium Oxide, MgO, MnO, Sodium Oxide, Phosphorus Pentoxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Not Applicable
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Fine to Medium Grained
Fracture
Uneven
Conchoidal
Streak
White
White to Grey
Porosity
Highly Porous
Highly Porous
Luster
Vitreous to Dull
Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Not Available
Slaty
Toughness
Not Available
1.5
Specific Gravity
2.73
3-3.2
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
1-1.8 g/cm3
2.8-2.9 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen
Japan, Turkey
Africa
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda
Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa
Europe
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom
France, Greece, Iceland
Others
Antarctica, Hawaii Islands
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA
USA
South America
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
Central Australia, Western Australia
New Zealand
Tuff 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. Tuff vs Blueschist characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Tuff and Properties of Blueschist. Learn more about Tuff vs Blueschist in the next section. The interior uses of Tuff include Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Blueschist include Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Kitchens. Due to some exceptional properties of Tuff and Blueschist, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Tuff in construction industry include Building houses or walls, Construction aggregate and that of Blueschist include As dimension stone, Cobblestones, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.
More about Tuff and Blueschist
Here you can know more about Tuff and Blueschist. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Tuff and Blueschist consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Tuff includes Calcite, Chlorite 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 Tuff vs Blueschist, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow colors whereas, Blueschist is available in blue, bluish - grey, purple, shades of blue colors. Appearance of Tuff is Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and that of Blueschist is Dull and Banded. Properties of rock is another aspect for Tuff vs Blueschist. The hardness of Tuff is 4-6 and that of Blueschist is 3.5-4. The types of Tuff are Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite. 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 Tuff is white while that of Blueschist is white to grey. The specific heat capacity of Tuff is 0.20 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.Tuff is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Blueschist is impact resistant, pressure resistant.