What does brecciation mean?
Brecciation is the geological process in which rock is fractured, crushed, or otherwise broken into angular fragments. The resulting material is called breccia, and it may form around faults, along fracture zones, near intrusions, or beside impact craters. The term is especially useful when describing deformation in field and mine mapping, because it distinguishes a shattered and broken rock mass from intact bedrock and from more thoroughly rounded gravels. Brecciation is usually treated as an uncountable process, though references to separate occurrences can occasionally be counted. In specialist writing the word is neutral and precise: it identifies both the mechanical breakage and the angular character of the fragments. It is consequently a useful term for geologists, mining specialists, and students reading maps or examining specimens in the field.
nounThe geological process in which rock is fractured, crushed, or broken into angular fragments. The resulting rock material is called breccia.
- The geological formation of breccia through the fracturing, crushing, or breaking of rock into angular fragments.
"Movement along the fault produced pronounced brecciation and a zone of sharp-edged limestone fragments."
"The movement of the fault produced pronounced brecciation and a zone of sharp-edged limestone fragments."
"Geologists identified impact brecciation around the crater and used the angular fragments to reconstruct the event."
Rare and less usual than the uncountable use; it is mainly used when separate occurrences are being distinguished.
"Detailed logging revealed distinct brecciations within the ore body."
Brecciation is geology's way of saying that a rock did not merely crack—it shattered into a crowd of sharp-edged pieces.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does brecciation come from?
Brecciation is derived from English breccia, a word borrowed from Italian and ultimately connected with Latin brechia, a term associated with broken stones or fragments. The ultimate origin of the Latin word is uncertain. The related geological forms brecciate and brecciated developed as terminology for describing crushed, fractured, or broken rock.
How brecciation is actually used
This is a formal, specialist geological term rather than everyday vocabulary. It normally denotes a process and is usually treated as uncountable, although separate occurrences may occasionally be counted.
Easily confused with brecciation
Brecciation is the process that produces broken rock, whereas breccia is the resulting rock composed of angular fragments.