Where is conglomerate found in the world

Sorting - a conglomerate comprising a mixture of clast sizes is poorly sorted, while one comprising mostly clasts of the same size is well sorted;. Lithology - a conglomerate where the clasts represent more than one rock type is termed polymictic or petromictic , while one where the clasts are of a single rock type are monomictic or oligomictic. Other specimens - Click the thumbnails to enlarge. This type of rock may be called breccio-conglomerate.

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Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Sand, silt, or clay sediment, called matrix , fills the spaces between the clasts and cements them together Conglomerate is relatively uncommon. They both start out at an outcrop a location where a rock unit is exposed at Earth's surface. This outcrop is known as the "source area" for the clasts. In the source area, chemical and physical weathering act upon the rock, causing it to break or disintegrate into smaller pieces. These pieces are usually subangular to angular.

If the clasts accumulate near the outcrop and form into a rock, that rock will have angular pieces and be a breccia. However, if the pieces are transported by a stream or the action of waves, the clasts will be abraded against one another and against other clasts on the bottom of the stream. That abrasion will - over time - cause their angular shapes to become subrounded to rounded. If the rounded clasts are deposited and formed into a rock, that rock with rounded clasts will be a conglomerate.

The difference between conglomerate and breccia is in the transportation history of their clasts. Red Conglomerate: This photograph shows a portion of a dimension stone slab that was cut from a red conglomerate.

The conglomerate is composed of well-rounded clasts of quartz and sedimentary rocks of various sizes and kinds along with a fine-grained matrix. To work well as a dimension stone, this conglomerate would have to be bound tightly with a very competent cement. If competent, this material would make spectacular wall panels, flooring tiles, stair treads, and other architectural elements.

Conglomerate has very few commercial uses. Its inability to break cleanly makes it a poor candidate for dimension stone, and its variable composition makes it a rock of unreliable physical strength and durability. Conglomerate can be crushed to make a fine aggregate that can be used where a low-performance material is suitable. Many conglomerates are colorful and attractive rocks, but they are rarely used as an ornamental stone.

Analysis of conglomerate can sometimes be used as a prospecting tool. For example, most diamond deposits are hosted in kimberlite. If a conglomerate contains clasts of kimberlite, then the source of that kimberlite must be upstream of the location where the kimberlite clast was deposited.

That sounds simple, but the kimberlite clast might have been deposited a few million years ago in a different landscape - but people have been successful in using this type of clue to successfully locate a diamond deposit.

In rare instances, conglomerate can be a "fossil placer deposit" containing gold , diamonds, or other valuable minerals. These conglomerates are mined, crushed, and processed as ores. Puddingstone: Puddingstone is a conglomerate composed of clasts that contrast sharply with the rock matrix.

This rock in the photo is a specimen of the Hertfordshire puddingstone, from the lower Eocene of the London Basin. It consists of colorful flint pebbles in a white to brown silicate matrix. This type of rock is found at many locations in Hertfordshire County, England. Puddingstone is a nonscientific name for a conglomerate made up of clasts that contrast sharply with the color of the rock's matrix. People in what is today the United Kingdom were the first to use the name.

They claim that the rocks reminded them of a "plum pudding". Puddingstones are found in many parts of the world. Learn more about puddingstone here! It shows an outcrop of conglomerate and some pebble-size weathering debris. The round pebbles are too large to have been moved and shaped by wind, thus they had to have been transported a significant distance by water.