mineral
Clear Quartz
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectHardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: Colorless/Transparent, Luster: Vitreous, Crystal structure: Hexagonal/Trigonal, Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific gravity: 2.65
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: Colorless/Transparent, Luster: Vitreous, Crystal structure: Hexagonal/Trigonal, Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary environments. It frequently crystallizes from molten magma or precipitates from hydrothermal veins. It is found in many geological eras from Precambrian to the present.
Uses & applications
Used in electronics (oscillators), manufacturing of glass, abrasives, and widely used in jewelry and lapidary arts.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Its name comes from the Greek word 'krystallos', meaning ice, as ancient Greeks believed quartz was ice frozen so hard it would never melt.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its hardness (scratches glass), glass-like luster, and lack of cleavage. Found globally, especially in mountain ranges and riverbeds.
More like this
Other mineral specimens
Gneiss or Schist
Gneiss or Mica Schist with Garnet
Metamorphic
Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)
Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Tumbled granite
Granite, a coarse-grained felsic intrusive igneous rock
igneous
Epidote
Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)
metamorphic
Pegmatite with Tourmaline and Quartz
Igneous Pegmatite
igneous
Granite
Granite (Phaneritic intrusive igneous rock)
igneous