Buchite is a very uncommon hornfels containing glass. The term was first used by Mohl (1873; see Spry and Solomon, 1964), apparently named after Leopold von Buch (Tomkeieff, 1940; see Spry and Solomon, 1964). The presence of a glass phase implies partial melting during metamorphism. Typical minerals include cordierite, mullite, tridymite, spinel, corundum, pyroxene, and felspar (particularly sanidine), generally as very tiny crystals within an alkali-alumina-silica glass that also contains unmelted relics of original minerals (Fig. 1). Subspherical bodies of opal or chalcedony are common and appear to be amygdules, indicating an excess gas pressure during melting.
Photomicrographs of buchite.
(a) Corroded grains of quartz set in light brown glass with dark aggregates of spinel and cordierite; PPL, ×3. (b) Relict quartz fringed with tridymite and surrounded by glass containing euhedral cordierite; PPL, ×60.
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Notes
- 1.
*This paper contains references to earlier work cited.
Bibliography
Smith, D. G. W., 1969, Pyrometamorphism of phyllites by a dolerite plug, J. Petrol. 10, 20–55.
Spry, A. and M. Solomon, 1964, Columnar buchite at psley, Tasmania, Q. J. Geol. Soc. London 120, 519–545.
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© 1989 Van Nostrand Reinhold
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Spry, A. (1989). Buchite . In: Petrology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30845-8_30
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