mineral
Milky quartz
Quartz (silicon dioxide, SiO₂)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectMohs hardness 7; translucent to opaque white-beige with a vitreous to slightly greasy luster and uneven fracture. Trigonal crystal structure; no cleavage. The rounded shape and frosted surface suggest natural water wear.
Identified More mineral →
Explore Milky quartz in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Mohs hardness 7; translucent to opaque white-beige with a vitreous to slightly greasy luster and uneven fracture. Trigonal crystal structure; no cleavage. The rounded shape and frosted surface suggest natural water wear.
Formation & geological history
Forms when silica-rich fluids crystallize in veins and cavities, commonly in igneous and metamorphic rocks; quartz deposits occur across many geological ages.
Uses & applications
Used as a decorative and collectible specimen, and industrial quartz is used in glass, electronics, and engineered stone.
Geological facts
Quartz is among Earth’s most abundant minerals and resists weathering, allowing it to persist in sediments and river gravels.
Field identification & locations
Common worldwide in quartz veins, pegmatites, and stream deposits. Milky color and hardness are useful clues; a glass scratch test can help distinguish it from softer lookalikes.
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
Unidentified pink-and-gray mineral or rock specimen
Undetermined; the image is too blurry for reliable identification
mineral