mineral
Clear Quartz (Rock Crystal)
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: Colorless/Transparent, Luster: Vitreous (glassy), Crystal system: Trigonal/Hexagonal, Cleavage: None/Conchoidal fracture, Specific gravity: 2.65
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: Colorless/Transparent, Luster: Vitreous (glassy), Crystal system: Trigonal/Hexagonal, Cleavage: None/Conchoidal fracture, Specific gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Quartz forms through the cooling of silica-rich magma or from hydrothermal solutions. It is found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary environments globally, and can be billions of years old.
Uses & applications
Used in jewelry, precision watches (oscillators), glassmaking, electronics, and as a popular decorative or healing crystal for collectors.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's crust. 'Rock Crystal' specifically refers to the purest, water-clear variety. Large crystals have been found weighing several tons.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its hexagonal crystal habit, hardness (will scratch glass), and lack of cleavage. Common in granite pegmatites and quartz veins worldwide, particularly in Brazil and Arkansas, USA.
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Epidote
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Nephrite Jade
Nephrite
Mineral/Rock
Banded Gneiss (River Rock/Pebble)
Gneiss (specifically a banded variety often found as a river rock)
Metamorphic Rock
![Green Apatite on Albite (Fluorapatite [Ca5(PO4)3F] on Albite [Na(AlSi3O8)]) — mineral](https://media.rockidentification.com/2391a63f-fb20-47d5-af9a-2035851eb32e-thumbnail.jpg)
Green Apatite on Albite
Fluorapatite [Ca5(PO4)3F] on Albite [Na(AlSi3O8)]
mineral