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Breccia and Pyroxenite


Pyroxenite and Breccia


Definition

Definition
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material   
Pyroxenite is a dark, greenish, granular intrusive igneous rock consisting mainly of pyroxenes and olivine   

History
  
  

Origin
England   
Unknown   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break   
From pyro- fire + Greek xenos stranger as the mineral group was new to igneous rocks   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Igneous Rocks   

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

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Plutonic   

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

Texture

Texture
Brecciated, Clastic   
Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic   

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

Maintenance
Less   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
Yes   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
Yes   

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
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   

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture   
Artifacts   

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry   
Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, Laboratory bench tops, Jewelry, Sea Defence, Tombstones   

Types

Types
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia   
Clinopyroxenites, Orthopyroxenites and Websterites   

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch   
Generally rough to touch, Host rock for Diamond, Is one of the oldest rock   

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Not Applicable   

Pictographs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Not Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Not Yet 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.   
Pyroxenites are ultramafic igneous rocks which are made up of minerals of the pyroxene group, such as augite and diopside, hypersthene, bronzite or enstatite.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica   
Amphibole, Augite, Bronzite, Chromite, Diopside, Enstatite, Garnet, Hornblende, Hypersthene, Magnetite, Pyroxene   

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes   
Yes   

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

Weathering
Yes   
Yes   

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

Erosion
Yes   
Yes   

Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion   
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Water Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7   
7   

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained   
Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Uneven   
Uneven   

Streak
White   
White, Greenish White or Grey   

Porosity
Less Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull to Pearly   
Dull to Vitreous to Submetallic   

Cleavage
Non-Existent   
Irregular   

Toughness
Not Available   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87   
3.2-3.5   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
0 g/cm3   
3.1-3.6 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa   
South Africa   

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

Others
Greenland   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil   
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela   

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand   
New Zealand, Queensland   

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Breccia and Pyroxenite Properties

Know all about Breccia and Pyroxenite properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Breccia belongs to Sedimentary Rocks while Pyroxenite belongs to Igneous Rocks.Texture of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic whereas that of Pyroxenite is Clastic, Granular, Phaneritic, Porphyritic. Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Pyroxenite appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Breccia is dull to pearly while that of Pyroxenite is dull to vitreous to submetallic. Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors whereas Pyroxenite is available in black to grey, bluish - grey, dark greenish - grey, green, light greenish grey colors. The commercial uses of Breccia are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Pyroxenite are cemetery markers, commemorative tablets, laboratory bench tops, jewelry, sea defence, tombstones.

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