How Does Breccia Differ From Conglomerate?
Breccia and conglomerate are very similar rocks. They are both clastic sedimentary rocks composed of particles larger than two millimeters in diameter. The difference is in the shape of the large particles. In breccia the large particles are angular in shape but in conglomerate the particles are rounded. This reveals a difference in how far the particles were transported. Near the outcrop where the fragments were produced by mechanical weathering the shape is angular. However, during transport by water away from the outcrop the sharp points and edges of those angular fragments are rounded. The rounded particles would form a conglomerate.
