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Pumice vs Breccia


Breccia vs Pumice


Definition

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  

History
  
  

Origin
Spain  
England  

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  

Family
  
  

Group
Volcanic  
-  

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

Texture

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  

Maintenance
Less  
Less  

Durability
Durable  
Durable  

Water Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Scratch Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Stain Resistant
Yes  
Yes  

Wind Resistant
No  
Yes  

Acid Resistant
Yes  
No  

Appearance
Vesicular  
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny  

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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  

Industry
  
  

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  
-  

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts  
Artifacts, Sculpture  

Other Uses
  
  

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

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
  
  

Monuments
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
-  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

Fossils
Absent  
Present  

Formation

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.   

Composition
  
  

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  

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
Yes  
Yes  

Types of Metamorphism
Burial Metamorphism, Impact 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, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion  
Chemical Erosion  

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
6  
7  

Grain Size
Fine Grained  
Medium to Coarse Grained  

Fracture
Planar  
Uneven  

Streak
White, Greenish White or Grey  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Earthy  
Dull to Pearly  

Compressive Strength
51.20 N/mm2  
38
180.00 N/mm2  
18

Cleavage
Perfect  
-  

Toughness
3  
-  

Specific Gravity
2.86  
2.86-2.87  

Transparency
Opaque  
Opaque  

Density
0.25-0.3 g/cm3  
0 g/cm3  

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.87 kJ/Kg K  
14
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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

Reserves

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  

Others
-  
Greenland  

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  

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Pumice vs Breccia 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 Pumice and Breccia Reserves. 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. 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 Pumice vs Breccia information and Pumice vs Breccia characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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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.

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