Definition
Pumice is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals
Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material
Discoverer
Unknown
Unknown
Etymology
From Old French pomis, from a Latin dialect variant of pumex
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break
Class
Igneous Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks
Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock
Durable Rock, Hard Rock
Other Categories
Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock
Texture
Vesicular
Brecciated, Clastic
Color
Beige, Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, Pink, White, Yellow- grey
Beige, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Green, Grey, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Rust, White, Yellow
Durability
Durable
Durable
Scratch Resistant
Yes
Yes
Appearance
Vesicular
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny
Interior Uses
Decorative Aggregates, Flooring, Homes, Interior Decoration
Countertops, Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, Floor Tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels, Interior Decoration
Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Garden Decoration, Paving Stone
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings
Other Architectural Uses
Curbing, Powder
Curbing
Construction Industry
As Dimension Stone, Cement Manufacture, for Road Aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks
As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone
Medical Industry
As an abrasive in skin exfoliating products, In Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, Medicines and Cosmetics
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Antiquity Uses
Artifacts
Artifacts, Sculpture
Commercial Uses
As a traction material on snow-covered roads, As an abrasive in pencil erasers, Fine abrasive used for polishing, Manufacture of Soap, Solvents, Dyes, Plastics and Fibres, Used in aquariums
Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry
Types
Scoria
Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia
Features
Host Rock for Lead
Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch
Archaeological Significance
Formation
Pumice rock forms when the magma cools so quickly that atoms in the melt are not able to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure.
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.
Mineral Content
Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica
Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica
Compound Content
Al, Aluminium Oxide, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, MgO, Silicon Dioxide
Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide
Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism
Types of Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering
Types of Erosion
Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion
Chemical Erosion
Grain Size
Fine Grained
Medium to Coarse Grained
Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey
White
Porosity
Highly Porous
Less Porous
Luster
Earthy
Dull to Pearly
Specific Gravity
2.86
2.86-2.87
Transparency
Opaque
Opaque
Density
0.25-0.3 g/cm3
0 g/cm3
Resistance
Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant
Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant
Deposits in Eastern Continents
Asia
Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Russia
China, India, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, South Korea, Uzbekistan
Africa
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania
Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa
Europe
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Turkey
Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Deposits in Western Continents
North America
Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, USA
Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA
South America
Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru
Brazil
Deposits in Oceania Continent
Australia
New Zealand, Western Australia
New South Wales, New Zealand
Pumice vs Breccia 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. Pumice vs Breccia characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Pumice and Properties of Breccia. Learn more about Pumice vs Breccia in the next section. The interior uses of Pumice include Decorative aggregates, Flooring, Homes and Interior decoration whereas the interior uses of Breccia include Countertops, Decorative aggregates, Entryways, Floor tiles, Flooring, Homes, Hotels and Interior decoration. Due to some exceptional properties of Pumice and Breccia, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Pumice in construction industry include As dimension stone, Cement manufacture, For road aggregate, In landscaping and horticulture, Making natural cement, Production of lightweight concrete blocks and that of Breccia include As dimension stone, Construction aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone.
More about Pumice and Breccia
Here you can know more about Pumice and Breccia. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Pumice and Breccia consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Pumice includes Aluminum Oxides, Calcite, Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Silica and mineral content of Breccia includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Igneous Rocks. When we have to compare Pumice vs Breccia, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Pumice is available in beige, grey, light green, light grey, pink, white, yellow- grey colors whereas, Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Pumice is Vesicular and that of Breccia is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Pumice vs Breccia. The hardness of Pumice is 6 and that of Breccia is 7. The types of Pumice are Scoria whereas types of Breccia are Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia. Streak of rock is the color of powder produced when it is dragged across an unweathered surface. The streak of Pumice and Breccia is white, greenish white or grey. The specific heat capacity of Pumice is 0.87 kJ/Kg K and that of Breccia is 0.84 kJ/Kg K. Depending on the properties like hardness, toughness, specific heat capacity, porosity etc., rocks are resistant to heat, wear, impact, etc.Pumice is impact resistant, pressure resistant whereas Breccia is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.