mineral
Quartz (Milky Quartz / Clear Quartz)
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless to translucent white/milky; Luster: Vitreous to waxy; Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: ~2.65
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Colorless to translucent white/milky
- Luster
- Vitreous to waxy
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless to translucent white/milky; Luster: Vitreous to waxy; Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: ~2.65
Formation & geological history
Forms in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary geological environments. Commonly crystallizes in pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, and quartzites during cooling of magmatic fluids or fluid precipitation.
Uses & applications
Used widely in electronics (piezoelectric applications), glassmaking, abrasives, gemstones, lapidary art, and rock collections.
Geological facts
Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth's continental crust. Pure quartz is completely clear and known as rock crystal, while micro-inclusions of gas or liquid create milky quartz.
Field identification & locations
Identified in the field by its hardness (scratches glass easily, cannot be scratched by a steel blade), absence of cleavage, and glassy, conchoidal fracture surfaces. Extremely common worldwide in riverbeds, mountains, and pegmatite deposits.
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