Home
Compare Rocks


Breccia and Travertine


Travertine and Breccia


Definition

Definition
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material  
Travertine is a mineral consisting of layered calcium carbonate formed by deposition from spring waters  

History
  
  

Origin
England  
Italy  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio  

Etymology
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break  
From Italian travertino a kind of building stone, from Tiburs, adjective from Tibur (Tivoli), in Italy  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Sedimentary Rocks  

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock  
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock  

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Brecciated, Clastic  
Banded  

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

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  
Fibrous  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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

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, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

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

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry  
Cemetery Markers, Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Paper Industry, Pottery  

Types

Types
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia  
Thermal Travertine and Tufa  

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch  
Stalactites and stalagmites are formed from this rock, Surfaces are often shiny, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Sacré Coeur in Paris, France, Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Present  
Present  

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.   
Travertine is a type of sedimentary rock formed when a river carries or transports pieces of broken rock which then undergo sedimentation. They are then subjected to high temperature and pressure hence forming travertine rock.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica  
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Micas, Quartz  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
No  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic 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, Glacier Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7  
3-4  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
Fine Grained  

Fracture
Uneven  
Splintery  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Dull to Pearly  
Dull to Pearly  

Compressive Strength
180.00 N/mm2  
18
80.00 N/mm2  
33

Cleavage
-  
-  

Toughness
-  
1  

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87  
1.68  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
0 g/cm3  
2.71 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
1.09 kJ/Kg K  
8

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  
China, Russia  

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  
-  

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

Others
Greenland  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil  
Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand  
-  

Summary >>
<< Reserves

All about Breccia and Travertine Properties

Know all about Breccia and Travertine properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Breccia and Travertine belong to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic whereas that of Travertine is Banded. Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and Travertine appears Fibrous. The luster of Breccia and Travertine is dull to pearly. Breccia and Travertine are available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Breccia are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry and that of Travertine are cemetery markers, creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, paper industry, pottery.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

» More Sedimentary Rocks

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

» More Compare Sedimentary Rocks