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Breccia vs Shale


Shale vs Breccia


Definition

Definition
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material  
Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles  

History
  
  

Origin
England  
-  

Discoverer
Unknown  
Johann Gottlob Lehmann  

Etymology
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break  
From German Schalstein laminated limestone, and Schalgebirge layer of stone in stratified rock. From Old English scealu in its base sense of- thing that divides or separate,  

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  
Clastic, Splintery  

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

Maintenance
Less  
More  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
No  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
No  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
No  

Wind Resistant
Yes  
No  

Acid Resistant
No  
No  

Appearance
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  
Muddy  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing  
Curbing  

Industry
  
  

Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone  
Cement Manufacture, Construction Aggregate, for Road Aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar  

Medical Industry
-  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture  
Artifacts, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

Commercial Uses
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry  
Creating Artwork, Pottery  

Types

Types
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia  
Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale  

Features
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch  
Easily splits into thin plates, Generally rough to touch, Very fine grained rock  

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
Jantar Mantar in India  

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.   
Shale forms when very fine-grained clay particles are deposited in water which settle at the bottom of water bodies. They are later compacted hence forming shale.  

Composition
  
  

Mineral Content
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica  
Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides  

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

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  

Grain Size
Medium to Coarse Grained  
Very fine-grained  

Fracture
Uneven  
-  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Less Porous  
Highly Porous  

Luster
Dull to Pearly  
Dull  

Compressive Strength
180.00 N/mm2  
18
95.00 N/mm2  
30

Cleavage
-  
Slaty  

Toughness
-  
2.6  

Specific Gravity
2.86-2.87  
2.2-2.8  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
0 g/cm3  
2.4-2.8 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15
0.39 kJ/Kg K  
30

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

Africa
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa  
Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania  

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

Others
Greenland  
-  

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

South America
Brazil  
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela  

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
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Breccia vs Shale 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 Shale Reserves. Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. 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 Shale information and Breccia vs Shale characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Breccia vs Shale 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 Shale characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Breccia and Properties of Shale. Learn more about Breccia vs Shale 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 Shale include Decorative aggregates, Homes and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Breccia and Shale, 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 Shale include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

More about Breccia and Shale

Here you can know more about Breccia and Shale. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Breccia and Shale consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Breccia includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica and mineral content of Shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Breccia vs Shale, 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, Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors. Appearance of Breccia is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny and that of Shale is Muddy. Properties of rock is another aspect for Breccia vs Shale. The hardness of Breccia is 7 and that of Shale is 3. The types of Breccia are Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia whereas types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Breccia and Shale is white. The specific heat capacity of Breccia is 0.84 kJ/Kg K and that of Shale is 0.39 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 Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant.

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