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Breccia vs Quartzite


Quartzite vs Breccia


Definition

Definition
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material  
Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone  

History
  
  

Origin
England  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Unknown  

Etymology
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break  
From quartz + -ite  

Class
Sedimentary Rocks  
Metamorphic Rocks  

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

Family
  
  

Group
-  
-  

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

Texture

Texture
Brecciated, Clastic  
Foliated, Granular  

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

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

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  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone  
Arrowheads, As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, Cutting Tool, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of Glass and Ceramics, Rail Track Ballast, Roadstone  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Jewellery, Monuments, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry  
An Oil and Gas Reservoir, As armour rock for sea walls, Cemetery Markers, Commemorative Tablets, In aquifers, Laboratory bench tops, Petroleum reservoirs, Soil Conditioner, Source of Magnesia (MgO), Tombstones, Used in aquariums  

Types

Types
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia  
Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite  

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

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

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.   
Quartzite forms from sandstone and the mineral quartz being put under extreme heat and pressure.   

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica  
Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz  

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism  
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Hydrothermal 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, Wind Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
7  
6-7  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
Medium Grained  

Fracture
Uneven  
Uneven, Splintery or Conchoidal  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull to Pearly  
Vitreous  

Compressive Strength
180.00 N/mm2  
18
115.00 N/mm2  
27

Cleavage
-  
Indiscernible  

Toughness
-  
1.9  

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87  
2.6-2.8  

Transparency
Opaque  
Transparent to Translucent  

Density
0 g/cm3  
2.32-2.42 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.75 kJ/Kg K  
20

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

Asia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Uzbekistan  
China, India, Israel, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey  

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  
Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe  

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

Others
Greenland  
Greenland  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil  
Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
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Breccia vs Quartzite Information

Earth’s outer layer is covered by rocks and these rocks have different physical and chemical properties. As two rocks are not same, it’s fun to compare them. You can also know more about Breccia and Quartzite Reserves. Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material. Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock that forms by the metamorphism of pure quartz Sandstone. These rocks are composed of many distinct minerals. The process of formation of rocks is different for various rocks. Rocks are quarried from many years for various purposes. You can check out Breccia vs Quartzite information and Breccia vs Quartzite characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Breccia vs Quartzite 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 Quartzite characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Breccia and Properties of Quartzite. Learn more about Breccia vs Quartzite 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 Quartzite include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Flooring and Homes. Due to some exceptional properties of Breccia and Quartzite, 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 Quartzite include Arrowheads, As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, Cutting tool, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Production of glass and ceramics, Rail track ballast, Roadstone.

More about Breccia and Quartzite

Here you can know more about Breccia and Quartzite. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Breccia and Quartzite consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Breccia includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Quartzite includes Chlorite, Epidote, Hematite, Kyanite, Magnetite, Muscovite or Illite, Quartz. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Breccia vs Quartzite, 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, Quartzite is available in black, blue, brown, green, light grey, purple, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Breccia is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Quartzite is Lustrous. Properties of rock is another aspect for Breccia vs Quartzite. The hardness of Breccia is 7 and that of Quartzite is 6-7. The types of Breccia are Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia whereas types of Quartzite are Orthoquartzite and Metaquartzite. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Breccia and Quartzite is white. The specific heat capacity of Breccia is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Quartzite is 0.75 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 Quartzite is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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