Definition
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material
Picrite is a variety of high-magnesium olivine basalt that is very rich in the mineral olivine
Origin
England
Hawaii Islands
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break
From Greek pikros bitter + -ite, 19th century
Class
Sedimentary Rocks
Igneous Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Group
Not Applicable
Volcanic
Other Categories
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Brecciated, Clastic
Earthy, Rough
Color
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Rust, White, Yellow
Black, Brown, Colourless, Green, Grey, Pink, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Rough and Shiny
Interior Uses
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, 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, Paving Stone
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone
As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills.
Medical Industry
Not Yet Used
Not Yet Used
Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture
Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
As a Feed Additive for Livestock, As armour rock for sea walls, Metallurgical Flux, Pottery, Source of Magnesia (MgO)
Types
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia
Oceanite
Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Host Rock for Lead
Archaeological Significance
Monuments
Not Yet Used
Used
Famous Monuments
Not Applicable
Data Not Available
Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available
Data Not Available
Pictographs
Not Used
Not Used
Petroglyphs
Not Used
Not Used
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.
Picrite 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.
Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica
Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite
Compound Content
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Al, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Mg, MgO
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained
Fine Grained
Streak
White
White, Greenish White or Grey
Porosity
Less Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Dull to Pearly
Subvitreous to Dull
Compressive Strength
Not Available
Cleavage
Non-Existent
Imperfect
Toughness
Not Available
2.1
Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87
2.75-2.92
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
0 g/cm3
1.5-2.5 g/cm3
Specific Heat Capacity
Not Available
Resistance
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Heat Resistant
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
Iceland
Others
Greenland
Not Yet Found
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA
Canada, USA
South America
Brazil
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
Not Yet Found
Breccia vs Picrite Characteristics
Though some rocks look identical, they have certain characteristics which distinguish them from others. Characteristics of rocks include texture, appearance, color, fracture, streak, hardness etc. Breccia vs Picrite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Breccia and Properties of Picrite. Learn more about Breccia vs Picrite in the next section. The interior uses of Breccia include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Picrite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Breccia and Picrite, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Breccia in construction industry include As dimension stone, Construction aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone and that of Picrite include As a sintering agent in steel industry to process iron ore, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, Manufacture of magnesium and dolomite refractories, Roadstone, Used for flooring, stair treads, borders and window sills..
More about Breccia and Picrite
Here you can know more about Breccia and Picrite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Breccia and Picrite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Breccia includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Picrite includes Biotite, Olivine, Plagioclase, Pyrrhotite. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Breccia vs Picrite, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors whereas, Picrite is available in black, brown, colourless, green, grey, pink, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Breccia is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Picrite is Rough and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Breccia vs Picrite. The hardness of Breccia is 7 and that of Picrite is 6.8. The types of Breccia are Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia whereas types of Picrite are Oceanite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Breccia is white while that of Picrite is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Breccia is Not Available and that of Picrite is 0.88 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Breccia is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant whereas Picrite is heat resistant.