greenschist

A Dictionary of Earth Sciences | 1999 | 407 words | Copyright

greenschist A low-grade, regional metamorphic rock, containing abundant chlorite with albite, epidote, and sericite, and possessing a distinct cleavage. Greenschists form by metamorphism of basic igneous rocks, the chlorite component being derived from the ferromagnesium minerals present in the original rock. Chlorite imparts a green colour to the cleaved rock, hence the name ‘greenschist’.

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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "greenschist." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-greenschist.html