[brech-ee-uh, bresh-] 
| rock composed of angular fragments of older rocks melded together. |
| brec·ci·a (brěch'ē-ə, brěch'ə, brěsh'-) n. Rock composed of sharp-angled fragments embedded in a fine-grained matrix. [Italian, of Germanic origin; see bhreg- in Indo-European roots.] |
| breccia (brěch'ē-ə, brěch'ə, brěsh'-) Pronunciation Key
A rock composed of angular fragments embedded in a fine-grained matrix. Breccias form from explosive volcanic ejections, the compaction of talus, or plate tectonic processes. Breccias are different from conglomerates in that the fragments they contain are angular instead of rounded. |