mineral
Milky Quartz
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: White to translucent creamy, Luster: Vitreous to greasy, Crystal System: Trigonal (hexagonal prisms), Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific Gravity: 2.65
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: White to translucent creamy, Luster: Vitreous to greasy, Crystal System: Trigonal (hexagonal prisms), Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites during the cooling of silica-rich magma or from precipitation from hot aqueous solutions. It is found in all geological ages and various types of host rocks.
Uses & applications
Used as an abrasive in glassmaking, in electronics for its piezoelectric properties, as road gravel, in concrete aggregates, and for decorative landscape stone or lapidary carving.
Geological facts
Milky quartz gets its cloudy appearance from tiny microscopic inclusions of gas or liquid trapped during its formation. It is the most common variety of crystalline quartz on Earth.
Field identification & locations
Identify in the field by its hardness (scratches glass), lack of cleavage, and white waxy appearance. It is ubiquitous in mountainous regions and riverbeds worldwide.
More like this
Other mineral specimens
Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)
Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Sandstone with Mineral Veining or Crust
Sedimentary Sandstone (mostly SiO2 with Fe2O3 tinting)
sedimentary
Schist
Schist
Metamorphic
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)
Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)
mineral
Gypsum (variety Selenite or Alabaster)
Calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O)
Mineral
Epidote
Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)
metamorphic