mineral

Quartz (Variety of Rough Mineral Specimens)

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Clear, white, smoky gray, tan, and green-banded; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: Indistinct/Conchoidal fracture.

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Color: Clear, white, smoky gray, tan, and green-banded
Luster: Vitreous (glassy)

Identified March 27, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Clear, white, smoky gray, tan, and green-banded; Luster: Vitreous (glassy); Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: Indistinct/Conchoidal fracture.

Formation & geological history

Formed from cooling magma or hydrothermal veins. Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earth's crust and can be found in rocks from almost all geological ages.

Uses & applications

Used in glassmaking, abrasives, and electronics (due to piezoelectricity). These rough specimens are primarily for educational collecting, decorative rock gardens, or lapidary tumbling.

Geological facts

Quartz is more abundant than any other mineral except feldspar. Transparent quartz is used to make lenses and prisms, and it is a major component of sand.

Field identification & locations

Identify in the field by its ability to scratch glass and its lack of cleavage (it breaks like glass in curved 'conchoidal' fractures). Commonly found in granite outcrops and beach sand worldwide.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Epidote

Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)

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

Epidote

Epidote - Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)3(SiO4)3(OH)

mineral