mineral
Clear Quartz (Rock Crystal)
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless/Transparent; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: Indistinct/Conchoidal fracture; Specific Gravity: 2.65
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Colorless/Transparent
- Luster
- Vitreous (glassy)
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless/Transparent; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: Indistinct/Conchoidal fracture; Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed through the cooling of silica-rich magma or from hydrothermal veins. It is found in all types of geological environments and can be millions to billions of years old.
Uses & applications
Used in jewelry, meditation/healing practices, precision electronics (piezoelectric properties), and glassmaking.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Rock crystal was once believed by Ancient Greeks to be permanently frozen ice.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its ability to scratch glass and its lack of cleavage (breaking in curved, shell-like patterns). Found globally, with notable deposits in Brazil and Arkansas, USA.
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Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Schist
Schist
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Epidote
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metamorphic
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