Home

Igneous Rocks + -

Fossil Rocks + -

Metamorphic Rocks + -

Durable Rocks + -

Medium Grained Rocks + -

Compare Rocks


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   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Vesicular   
Brecciated, Clastic   

Color
Beige, Colourless, 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   
Not Yet Used   

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
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Not Yet Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Not Applicable   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Not Yet Used   
Used   

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   
26
Not Available   

Cleavage
Perfect   
Non-Existent   

Toughness
3   
Not Available   

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
Not Available   

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
Not Yet Found   
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   

Definition >>
<< All

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.

Compare Igneous Rocks

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, colourless, 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 Not Available. 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.

Igneous Rocks

Igneous Rocks

» More Igneous Rocks

Compare Igneous Rocks

» More Compare Igneous Rocks