mineral

Milky Quartz Pebble with Iron Inclusions

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

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.