mineral

Milky Quartz Pebble with Iron Inclusions

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale. Color: Pale yellow-white, tan, with brownish-grey iron oxide/limonite vein patterns. Luster: Vitreous to waxy. Fracture: Conchoidal. Crystal structure: Trigonal (microcrystalline/massive). Specific gravity: ~2.65.

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Luster: Vitreous to waxy

Identified July 27, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites through crystallization of silica-rich solutions. After weathering out of parent rock, it was smoothed and rounded by stream or wave action (alluvial transport).

Uses & applications

Commonly used as river rock for landscaping, aquarium gravel, tumbling for rock polishing hobbyists, and lapidary practice.

Geological facts

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Quartz pebbles like this often carry dark trace mineral matrix borders or iron stain fractures created during thermal fracturing in hydrothermal veins.

Field identification & locations

Identified by its scratch resistance (scratches glass easily), waxy to glass-like lustre, smooth rounded river-pebble morphology, and yellowish-white quartzite/milky quartz composition. Commonly found in riverbeds, lake shores, gravel pits, and glacial till worldwide.

Other mineral specimens

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Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Limonite / Goethite (Iron Ore Mineral nodule)

FeO(OH)·nH2O / FeO(OH)

mineral

Schist

Metamorphic

Septarian Pebble

Septarian nodule / Concretion

sedimentary

Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)

Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)

mineral

Sandstone with Mineral Veining or Crust

Sedimentary Sandstone (mostly SiO2 with Fe2O3 tinting)

sedimentary