metamorphic
Banded Quartzite
Quartzite (Metamorphosed Quartz Arenite)
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, colors range from white and gray to dark gray and brown with distinctive bands, vitreous to greasy luster, massive crystal structure with interlocking quartz grains, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.65.
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Physical properties
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, colors range from white and gray to dark gray and brown with distinctive bands, vitreous to greasy luster, massive crystal structure with interlocking quartz grains, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed from quartz-rich sandstone or chert under intense heat and pressure associated with tectonic compression during regional metamorphism, often billions of years old.
Uses & applications
Used primarily as decorative landscape stone, crushed stone for road construction, building blocks, and occasionally as a tumbling stone for lapidary work.
Geological facts
Quartzite is extremely durable and resistant to chemical weathering, which is why ridges formed of quartzite often survive as prominent hills or mountains while surrounding softer rocks erode.
Field identification & locations
Can be identified in the field by its high hardness (scratches glass easily), the way it breaks across rather than around the quartz grains, and its characteristic banding. Found worldwide in ancient mountain belts.
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