Breccia is similar to conglomerate in that it consists of coarse
particles, but in the breccia the particles are very angular and typically very
poorly sorted. This combination is the result of very little transport.
Conglomerate is a rock that is composed of other rocks. It is a
solidified gravel.
Sandstones are commonly composed of the mineral quartz. Quartz is
physically and chemically stable and accumulates in beaches, dunes and river
environments. This banded sandstone was a dune sand.
This is a close up view of the quartz sandstone pictured above.
Shale is a fine grained detrital rock. It consists of silt and clay
particles and is normally lithified by compaction. This shale is called
the Wheeler Shale and is from central Utah. The fossil is a trilobite
called Elrathia kingii. It is about 550 million years old.
