Breccia and Phyllite

Breccia

Phyllite

Definition

Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material

Phyllite is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with a well-developed laminar structure, and is intermediate between slate and schist rocks

History

Origin

England

Unknown

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break

From Greek phullon leaf + -ite1

Class

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Durable Rock, Soft Rock

Family

Group

Not Applicable

Other Categories

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Fine Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Brecciated, Clastic

Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty

Color

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

Black to Grey, Light Greenish Grey

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Yes

Wind Resistant

Yes

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Crinkled or Wavy

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

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

Decorative Aggregates, Floor Tiles, Homes, Interior Decoration

Exterior Uses

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings

As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone

As Dimension Stone, Building houses or walls, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Creating Artwork, Writing Slates

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

Easily splits into thin plates, Is one of the oldest rock, Surfaces are often shiny

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Not Yet Used

Famous Monuments

Not Applicable

Sculpture

Used

Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Pictographs

Not Used

Used

Petroglyphs

Not Used

Used

Figurines

Used

Fossils

Present

Absent

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.

Phyllite is a metamorphic rock which is formed by regional metamorphism of argillaceous sediments since their cleavage arose due to deviatoric stress.

Composition

Mineral Content

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica

Albite, Alusite, Amphibole, Apatite, Biotite, Chlorite, Epidote, Feldspar, Garnet, Graphite, Hornblade, Kyanite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Porphyroblasts, Quartz, Sillimanite, Staurolite, Talc, Zircon

Compound Content

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

CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO

Transformation

Metamorphism

Yes

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Not Applicable

Weathering

Yes

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Yes

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

1-2

Grain Size

Medium to Coarse Grained

Medium to Fine Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Conchoidal

Streak

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Highly Porous

Luster

Dull to Pearly

Phyllitic

Cleavage

Non-Existent

Crenulation and Pervasive

Toughness

Not Available

1.2

Specific Gravity

2.86-2.87

2.72-2.73

Transparency

Opaque

Density

0 g/cm³

2.18-3.3 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Heat Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Water Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Uzbekistan

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam

Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Austria, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Others

Greenland

Not Yet Found

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA

Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, USA

South America

Brazil

Brazil, Colombia, Guyana

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland

Summary >>

<< Reserves

All about Breccia and Phyllite Properties

Know all about Breccia and Phyllite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Breccia belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Phyllite belongs to Metamorphic Rocks.Texture of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic whereas that of Phyllite is Phyllitic Sheen, Slaty. Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Phyllite appears Crinkled or Wavy. The luster of Breccia is dull to pearly while that of Phyllite is phyllitic. Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors whereas Phyllite is available in black to grey, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Breccia are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Phyllite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, creating artwork, writing slates.