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Definition
Breccia is an Italian word that means “rubble.” Indeed, breccia is a detrital rock composed of angular fragments of minerals or rocks. These fragments can be produced by sedimentary, magmatic, or tectonic processes. Breccia containing angular clasts and fine-grained matrix produced by meteoritic impacts is a common rock covering planetary surfaces such as the Moon’s highlands.
Overview
A sedimentary breccia is a coarse-grained (particle size >2 mm) detrital rock composed of angular rock or mineral fragments held together by a cement or dispersed in a fine-grained solidified matrix. It originates as a result of localized sedimentary processes such as talus accumulation (sedimentary breccia), disturbance during sedimentation (intraclastic breccia), or collapse of rocky surfaces such as the roof of a cave (collapse breccia). The reason that the rock debris is angular is indeed an indication that the rock was little exposed to weathering and that transport...
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References and Further Reading
Korotev RL (2020) Lunar Regolith Breccias and Fragmental Breccias. Washington University in St. Louis, at https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/items/lunar-regolith-breccias-and-fragmental-breccias/
Norton W (1917) A classification of Breccias. J Geol 25:160–194
Reimold WU, Hauser N, Hansen BT, Thirlwall M, Hoffmann M (2017) The impact pseudotachylitic breccia controversy: insights from first isotope analysis of Vredefort impact-generated melt rocks. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 214:266–281
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Pinti, D.L. (2023). Breccia. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_1762
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65093-6_1762
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