Tuffite is a

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...

containing both pyroclastic and

detrital Detritus (; adj. ''detrital'' ) is particles of rock derived from pre-existing rock through weathering and erosion.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak, p G-7 A fragment of detritus is called a clast.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephe ...

materials, but predominantly pyroclasts. According to IUGS definition tuffite contains 75 to 25% volcanic (epiclastic) material. There are several classifications that define tuffite. The classification present in the IUGS recommendation are based on the definition established by Schmid (1981).

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defined tuffites as rocks containing 50 to 90% of the volcanic fragments. Tuffite should therefore contain more than half of volcanic material. If rock contains more than 75 to 90% of pyroclastic material it is referred to as tuff. Some other, mostly older sources state that tuffite may contain 10 to 50% volcanic material. (in Czech) The adjective ''tuffitic'' is used for sediments containing less than 25% volcanic fragments. A tuffite consists of angular and/or rounded fragments of effusive rocks and their

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

s, also may contain

volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...

pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of highly vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicular v ...

and clay minerals. Nonvolcanic material may consist of terrigenous, chemical precipitates or organogenic components.

Quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

or mica and an admixture of

carbonates A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate g ...

, siliceous rock fragments or organic remains may be common.

References

Volcanic rocks Tephra {{petrology-stub