Skarn

Breccia

Skarn and Breccia

Skarn

Breccia

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Definition

Skarns are formed during regional or contact metamorphism and from a variety of metasomatic processes involving fluids of magmatic, metamorphic, and/or marine origin

Breccia is a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones which are cemented by finer calcareous material

History

Origin

USA, Australia

England

Discoverer

Tornebohm

Unknown

Etymology

From an old Swedish mining term originally used to describe a type of silicate gangue or waste rock.

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

Class

Metamorphic Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks

Sub-Class

Durable Rock, Hard Rock

Family

Group

Other Categories

Fine Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Coarse Grained Rock, Medium Grained Rock, Opaque Rock

Texture

Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough

Brecciated, Clastic

Color

Black, Brown, Green, Grey, White

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

✔ ✘

Scratch Resistant

✔ ✘

Stain Resistant

✔ ✘

Wind Resistant

✔ ✘

Acid Resistant

✔ ✘

Appearance

Dull

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, 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

Industry

Construction Industry

As a Flux in the Production of Steel and Pig Iron, As a Sintering Agent in Steel Industry to process Iron Ore, As Dimension Stone, Gold and Silver production, Manufacture of Magnesium and Dolomite Refractories

As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry, Metallurgical Flux, Source of Magnesia (MgO)

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Endoskarns

Collapse Breccia, Fault Breccia, Flow Breccia, Pyroclastic Breccia, Igneous Breccia and Impact Breccia

Features

Host Rock for Lead, Zinc and Copper Deposits

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

Due to change in environmental conditions, rocks are heated and pressurized deep inside the Earth's surface. Skarn is formed from the extreme heat caused by magma or by the intense collisions and friction of tectonic plates.

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

Calcite, Enstatite, Epidote, Garnet, Magnetite, Pyroxene, Titanite

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

Au, CaO, Carbon Dioxide, Cu, Fe, MgO

Aluminium Oxide, Ca, NaCl, CaO, Iron(III) Oxide, Potassium Oxide, Sodium Oxide, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide

Transformation

Metamorphism

✔ ✘

Types of Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism, Contact Metamorphism, Hydrothermal Metamorphism, Impact Metamorphism, Regional Metamorphism

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Weathering

✔ ✘

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

✔ ✘

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

6.57

1 7

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Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Irregular

Uneven

Streak

Light to dark brown

White

Porosity

Less Porous

Luster

Waxy and Dull

Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

70.00 N/mm²180.00 N/mm²

0.15 450

👆🏻

Cleavage

Slaty

Toughness

2.4

Specific Gravity

2.862.86-2.87

0 8.4

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Transparency

Opaque

Density

2.8-2.9 g/cm³0 g/cm³

0 1400

👆🏻

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.92 kJ/Kg K0.84 kJ/Kg K

0.14 3.2

👆🏻

Resistance

Heat Resistant

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka

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

Africa

South Africa, Western Africa

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

United Kingdom

Austria, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Others

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada

Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA

South America

Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

All about Skarn and Breccia Properties

Know all about Skarn and Breccia properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Skarn belongs to Metamorphic Rocks while Breccia belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Skarn is Earthy, Mud-rich, Rough whereas that of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic. Skarn appears Dull and Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Skarn is waxy and dull while that of Breccia is dull to pearly. Skarn is available in black, brown, green, grey, white colors whereas Breccia is available in beige, black, blue, brown, buff, green, grey, orange, pink, purple, red, rust, white, yellow colors. The commercial uses of Skarn and Breccia are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry, metallurgical flux, source of magnesia (mgo).