mineral
Quartz Pebble
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: White, cream, or translucent with iron staining, Luster: Vitreous to waxy, Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal, Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific Gravity: 2.65
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: White, cream, or translucent with iron staining, Luster: Vitreous to waxy, Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal, Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture), Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed from cooling silica-rich magma or precipitation in hydrothermal veins. This specific specimen has been rounded and smoothed by water erosion in a high-energy environment like a beach or river.
Uses & applications
Common quartz is used in construction as aggregate, in glassmaking, and in electronics. Water-smoothed pebbles are often used in decorative landscaping or as worry stones.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Its rounded shape is a result of millions of collisions with other stones in moving water, a process known as abrasion.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its ability to scratch glass and lack of cleavage. In the field, look for translucent to opaque white coloring and a smooth, water-worn texture in stream beds or shorelines.
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Epidote
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Nephrite Jade
Nephrite
Mineral/Rock
Banded Gneiss (River Rock/Pebble)
Gneiss (specifically a banded variety often found as a river rock)
Metamorphic Rock
![Biotite Schist (Biotite-rich Schist [K(Mg,Fe)3AlSi3O10(F,OH)2]) — metamorphic](https://media.rock.id/9ca564b5-bc87-402b-965a-69b21f9aa6bf-thumbnail.jpg)
Biotite Schist
Biotite-rich Schist [K(Mg,Fe)3AlSi3O10(F,OH)2]
metamorphic