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Shale vs Breccia


Breccia vs Shale


Definition

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

History
  
  

Origin
Unknown   
England   

Discoverer
Unknown   
Unknown   

Etymology
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,   
From Italian, literally gravel, Germanic origin and related to break   

Class
Sedimentary Rocks   
Sedimentary Rocks   

Sub-Class
Durable Rock, Medium Hardness Rock   
Durable Rock, Hard Rock   

Family
  
  

Group
Not Applicable   
Not Applicable   

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

Texture

Texture
Clastic, Splintery   
Brecciated, Clastic   

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

Maintenance
More   
Less   

Durability
Durable   
Durable   

Water Resistant
No   
Yes   

Scratch Resistant
No   
Yes   

Stain Resistant
No   
Yes   

Wind Resistant
No   
Yes   

Acid Resistant
No   
No   

Appearance
Muddy   
Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny   

Uses

Architecture
  
  

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

Exterior Uses
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Office Buildings   
As Building Stone, As Facing Stone, Paving Stone, Garden Decoration, Office Buildings   

Other Architectural Uses
Curbing   
Curbing   

Industry
  
  

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

Medical Industry
Not Yet Used   
Not Yet Used   

Antiquity Uses
Artifacts, Sculpture   
Artifacts, Sculpture   

Other Uses
  
  

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

Types

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

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

Archaeological Significance
  
  

Monuments
Used   
Not Yet Used   

Famous Monuments
Jantar Mantar in India   
Not Applicable   

Sculpture
Used   
Used   

Famous Sculptures
Data Not Available   
Data Not Available   

Pictographs
Used   
Not Used   

Petroglyphs
Used   
Not Used   

Figurines
Used   
Used   

Fossils
Present   
Present   

Formation

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

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

Transformation
  
  

Metamorphism
No   
Yes   

Types of Metamorphism
Not Applicable   
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   
Chemical Erosion   

Properties

Physical Properties
  
  

Hardness
3   
7   

Grain Size
Very fine-grained   
Medium to Coarse Grained   

Fracture
Not Available   
Uneven   

Streak
White   
White   

Porosity
Highly Porous   
Less Porous   

Luster
Dull   
Dull to Pearly   

Compressive Strength
95.00 N/mm2   
20
Not Available   

Cleavage
Slaty   
Non-Existent   

Toughness
2.6   
Not Available   

Specific Gravity
2.2-2.8   
2.86-2.87   

Transparency
Opaque   
Opaque   

Density
2.4-2.8 g/cm3   
0 g/cm3   

Thermal Properties
  
  

Specific Heat Capacity
0.39 kJ/Kg K   
23
Not Available   

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

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents
  
  

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

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

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

Others
Not Yet Found   
Greenland   

Deposits in Western Continents
  
  

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

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

Deposits in Oceania Continent
  
  

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

Definition >>
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Shale 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 Shale and Breccia Reserves. Shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock which is formed by the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles. 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 Shale vs Breccia information and Shale vs Breccia characteristics in the upcoming sections.

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Shale 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. Shale vs Breccia characteristics assist us to distinguish and recognize rocks. Also you can check about Properties of Shale and Properties of Breccia. Learn more about Shale vs Breccia in the next section. The interior uses of Shale include Decorative aggregates, 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 Shale and Breccia, they have various applications in construction industry. The uses of Shale in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, For road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar and that of Breccia include As dimension stone, Construction aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone.

More about Shale and Breccia

Here you can know more about Shale and Breccia. The life cycle of a rock consists of formation of rock, composition of rock and transformation of rock. The composition of Shale and Breccia consists of mineral content and compound content. The mineral content of Shale includes Albite, Biotite, Calcite, Chert, Chlorite, Dolomite, Hematite, Micas, Muscovite or Illite, Pyrite, Quartz, Silica, Sulfides and mineral content of Breccia includes Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica. You can also check out the list of all Sedimentary Rocks. When we have to compare Shale vs Breccia, the texture, color and appearance plays an important role in determining the type of rock. Shale is available in black, brown, buff, green, grey, red, yellow colors whereas, Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors. Appearance of Shale is Muddy and that of Breccia is Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. Properties of rock is another aspect for Shale vs Breccia. The hardness of Shale is 3 and that of Breccia is 7. The types of Shale are Red Shale, Black Shale, Green Shale, Grey Shale and Yellow Shale 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 Shale and Breccia is white. The specific heat capacity of Shale is 0.39 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.Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Breccia is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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