If you are driving up or down the M74, it is always good to have a break. I arrived here as part of Team Smurf, and whilst having a bimble about, something caught my eye. Here in front of the services are a collection of rocks, one of which is distinctively browner than the rest. We are here to look at the rock. We are here to learn about conglomerate and breccia.
Breccia
This is the name given to a type of sedimentary rock, which are formed by the collection toegther of a large number of angular fragments, with the space between these filled by similar fragments or mineral cement. Breccias get formed when host rocks break, and their debris are not transported to any far off place. This means that these rocks form when original rocks break and re-accumulate to make pieces that are angular in texture. A high energy flash flood is an example of the environment which produces breccia, as there is not enough time for sediment to be sorted and then laid down.
Conglomerate
This is the name given to a coarse grained sedimentary rock , which is composed of rounded or subangular stones, which in geological terms are known as clasts.
This being an earthcache, in order to log it, I ask that you answer some questions. Please send them to me, and do not include them in your log. You can send them to me by using the message facility or email, both of which can be found by looking at my profile.
1. Please examine the specified rock and tell me - how wide and long is it.
2. Using the above, please explain whether there is breccia or conglomerate here?
3. Are all the fragments the same colour?