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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
-  
England  

Discoverer
Johann Gottlob Lehmann  
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
-  
-  

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
-  
-  

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
-  
-  

Famous Monuments
Jantar Mantar in India  
-  

Sculpture
-  
-  

Famous Sculptures
-  
-  

Pictographs
-  
-  

Petroglyphs
-  
-  

Figurines
-  
-  

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
-  
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
-  
Uneven  

Streak
White  
White  

Porosity
Highly Porous  
Less Porous  

Luster
Dull  
Dull to Pearly  

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

Cleavage
Slaty  
-  

Toughness
2.6  
-  

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  
30
0.84 kJ/Kg K  
15

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
-  
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.

Compare Sedimentary Rocks

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 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.Shale is heat resistant, impact resistant whereas Breccia is heat resistant, impact resistant, pressure resistant, wear resistant.

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