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Breccia and Icelandite


Icelandite and Breccia


Definition

Definition
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material   
Icelandite belongs to volcanic igneous rocks which is rich in iron and belongs to andesite rock   

History
  
  

Origin
England   
Iceland   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Ian S. E. Carmichael   

Etymology
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break   
From its origin place near Cenozoic volcano near the parsonage Þingmúli in East Iceland   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Volcanic   

Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock   

Texture

Texture
Brecciated, Clastic   
Aphanitic to Porphyritic   

Color
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Rust, White, Yellow   
Bluish - Grey, Grey, Pink, Yellow   

Maintenance
Less   
More   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
No   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   
Dull and Soft   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration   
Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration, Kitchens   

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   
Office Buildings, Roof Tiles   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone   
Cobblestones, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture   
Artifacts, Jewellery, Sculpture, Small Figurines   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry   
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork   

Types

Types
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia   
Not Available   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch   
Generally rough to touch, High silica content, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Absent   

Formation

Formation
Breccia is a clastic sedimentary rock which is composed of broken fragments of minerals or rock which are cemented together by a fine-grained matrix and it forms where broken, angular fragments of rock or mineral debris accumulate.   
Icelandite 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.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica   
Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Feldspar, Garnet, Hornblade, Ilmenite, Magnetite, Plagioclase, Pyroxene, Quartz, Zircon   

Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide   
Silicon Dioxide   

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

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

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering   
Biological Weathering   

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7   
7   

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained   
Very fine-grained   

Fracture
Uneven   
Uneven   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Pearly   
Vitreous   

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Not Available   

Toughness
Not Available   
1.1   

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87   
2.5-2.8   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
0 g/cm3   
2.11-2.36 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available   
2.39 kJ/Kg K   
2

Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant   
Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Wear Resistant   

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Uzbekistan   
India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, South Korea   

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania   

Europe
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom   
Austria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Romania, Turkey, United Kingdom   

Others
Greenland   
Not Yet Found   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

North America
Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA   
Mexico, USA   

South America
Brazil   
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand   
New South Wales, New Zealand, Western Australia   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Breccia and Icelandite Properties

Know all about Breccia and Icelandite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Breccia belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Icelandite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic whereas that of Icelandite is Aphanitic to Porphyritic. Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Icelandite appears Dull and Soft. The luster of Breccia is dull to pearly while that of Icelandite is vitreous. Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors whereas Icelandite is available in bluish - grey, grey, pink, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Breccia are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Icelandite are cemetery markers, creating artwork.

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