mineral

Milky Quartz with Garnet/Hematite and Basalt

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with Almandine (Fe3Al2Si3O12) and Basalt

Hardness: 7 (Quartz) / 6.5-7.5 (Garnet). Color: White, pinkish, and dark red/brown. Luster: Vitreous to greasy. Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (Quartz) and Isometric (Garnet). Cleavage: None (Quartz), indistinct (Garnet).

Hardness: 7 (Quartz) / 6
Color: White, pinkish, and dark red/brown
Luster: Vitreous to greasy

Identified June 11, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Quartz and garnets often form in hydrothermal veins or metamorphic environments during high-pressure and temperature mountain-building events. The dark host rock appears to be basaltic (igneous).

Uses & applications

Used as decorative garden stone, metaphysical collecting, and historically as an abrasive or gemstone depending on clarity. Quartz is vital for electronic oscillators and glass.

Geological facts

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Garnets have been used as gemstones and abrasives since the Bronze Age.

Field identification & locations

Identify by the white crystalline appearance of quartz contrasting with embedded darker, rounded garnet crystals. Often found in schist, gneiss, or granite contact zones.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Schist

Metamorphic

Epidote

Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)

metamorphic

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