Tuff and Breccia

Tuff

Breccia

Breccia and Tuff

Definition

Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption

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

History

Origin

Italy

England

Discoverer

Unknown

Etymology

From a Latin word tophous then in Italian tufo and finally tuff

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

Clastic, Pyroclastic

Brecciated, Clastic

Color

Brown, Grey, Yellow

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

Maintenance

Less

Durability

Durable

Water Resistant

Yes

Scratch Resistant

Yes

Stain Resistant

Yes

Wind Resistant

Yes

Acid Resistant

Appearance

Dull, Vesicular and Foilated

Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny

Uses

Architecture

Interior Uses

Decorative Aggregates, Entryways, 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, Office Buildings, Paving Stone

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

Other Architectural Uses

Curbing

Industry

Construction Industry

Building houses or walls, Construction Aggregate

As Dimension Stone, Construction Aggregate, Landscaping, Roadstone

Medical Industry

Not Yet Used

Antiquity Uses

Artifacts, Monuments, Sculpture, Small Figurines

Artifacts, Sculpture

Other Uses

Commercial Uses

Creating Artwork

Creating Artwork, Gemstone, Jewelry

Types

Welded tuff, Rhyolitic tuff, Basaltic tuff, Trachyte tuff, Andesitic tuff and Ignimbrite.

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

Features

Always found as volcanic pipes over deep continental crust

Available in Lots of Colors and Patterns, Clasts are smooth to touch

Archaeological Significance

Monuments

Used

Not Yet Used

Famous Monuments

Easter Island in the Polynesian Triangle, Pacific Ocean

Not Applicable

Sculpture

Used

Famous Sculptures

Data Not Available

Pictographs

Used

Not Used

Petroglyphs

Used

Not Used

Figurines

Used

Fossils

Absent

Present

Formation

Tuff is formed when large masses of ash and sand which are mixed with hot gases are ejected by a volcano and avalanche rapidly down its slopes.

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, Chlorite

Calcite, Clay, Feldspar, Phosphates, Quartz, Silica

Compound Content

Hydrogen Sulfide, Sulfur Dioxide

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

Transformation

Metamorphism

Yes

Types of Metamorphism

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

Burial Metamorphism, Cataclastic Metamorphism

Weathering

Yes

Types of Weathering

Biological Weathering, Chemical Weathering, Mechanical Weathering

Erosion

Yes

Types of Erosion

Chemical Erosion, Coastal Erosion, Glacier Erosion, Sea Erosion, Water Erosion, Wind Erosion

Chemical Erosion

Properties

Physical Properties

Hardness

4-6

Grain Size

Fine Grained

Medium to Coarse Grained

Fracture

Uneven

Streak

White

Porosity

Highly Porous

Less Porous

Luster

Vitreous to Dull

Dull to Pearly

Compressive Strength

243.80 N/mm²

Not Available

Cleavage

Not Available

Non-Existent

Toughness

Not Available

Specific Gravity

2.73

2.86-2.87

Transparency

Opaque

Density

1-1.8 g/cm³

0 g/cm³

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat Capacity

0.20 kJ/Kg K

Not Available

Resistance

Heat Resistant, Impact Resistant, Pressure Resistant, Wear Resistant

Reserves

Deposits in Eastern Continents

Asia

Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Yemen

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

Africa

Cameroon, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda

Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa

Europe

France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom

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

Others

Antarctica, Hawaii Islands

Greenland

Deposits in Western Continents

North America

Canada, Costa Rica, Panama, USA

Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Panama, USA

South America

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay

Brazil

Deposits in Oceania Continent

Australia

Central Australia, Western Australia

New South Wales, New Zealand

Summary >>

<< Reserves

All about Tuff and Breccia Properties

Know all about Tuff and Breccia properties here. All properties of rocks are important as they define the type of rock and its application. Tuff belongs to Igneous Rocks while Breccia belongs to Sedimentary Rocks.Texture of Tuff is Clastic, Pyroclastic whereas that of Breccia is Brecciated, Clastic. Tuff appears Dull, Vesicular and Foilated and Breccia appears Layered, Banded, Veined and Shiny. The luster of Tuff is vitreous to dull while that of Breccia is dull to pearly. Tuff is available in brown, grey, yellow 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 Tuff are creating artwork and that of Breccia are creating artwork, gemstone, jewelry.