metamorphic
Quartzite
Quartzite (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: White, gray, or tawny, Luster: Vitreous, Crystal structure: Trigonal (granular texture), Cleavage: None, Specific gravity: 2.6-2.65.
Identified More metamorphic →
Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: White, gray, or tawny, Luster: Vitreous, Crystal structure: Trigonal (granular texture), Cleavage: None, Specific gravity: 2.6-2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the metamorphism of quartz-rich sandstone under intense heat and pressure, typically during mountain-building events.
Uses & applications
Used extensively in road construction, as railway ballast, for kitchen countertops, and as decorative stone in architecture.
Geological facts
Quartzite is so durable that it can outlast the mountains where it is formed. It is often harder than the steel of a geologist's pick.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its interlocking granular texture and the fact that it breaks across the grains rather than around them. Common in folded mountain ranges.
More like this
