mineral
Milky Quartz
Quartz (Silicon Dioxide, SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Milky white to translucent; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Milky white to translucent
- Luster
- Vitreous to greasy
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Milky white to translucent; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed through the cooling of silica-rich hydrothermal veins or within igneous pegmatites. The white color is caused by tiny fluid inclusions of gas or liquid trapped during crystal growth.
Uses & applications
Used in glass making, as an abrasive, in electronics for its piezoelectric properties, and widely used in landscaping and as a collector specimen.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Milky Quartz is specifically the most common variety of crystalline quartz found in nature.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its hardness (it will scratch glass), lack of cleavage, and characteristic white cloudy appearance. Often found as veins in metamorphic rocks or as pebbles in riverbeds.
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Mineral/Rock
Banded Gneiss (River Rock/Pebble)
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Metamorphic Rock
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Biotite Schist
Biotite-rich Schist [K(Mg,Fe)3AlSi3O10(F,OH)2]
metamorphic