mineral

Quartz Pebble with Iron Staining

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale. Color: Milky white to off-white, with reddish-brown, yellow, and dark brown iron oxide staining. Luster: Vitreous to greasy. Fracture: Conchoidal. Crystal system: Trigonal. Specific gravity: 2.65.

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Luster: Vitreous to greasy

Identified July 24, 2026More mineral →

Explore Quartz Pebble with Iron Staining in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites, then eroded and rounded by stream or river action over thousands to millions of years. Iron oxide staining occurs due to weathering in soil or water rich in iron minerals.

Uses & applications

Commonly collected as a rockhounding specimen. Cleaned or tumbled milky quartz is used for decorative landscaping, aquariums, and gemstone carving. Quartz is also used industrially in glassmaking and electronics.

Geological facts

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Iron oxide coats the exterior and fractures, giving river quartz pebbles their distinctive rusty appearance.

Field identification & locations

Identified by its high hardness (scratches glass), lack of cleavage, milky white color beneath the weathering rind, and conchoidal fracture. Found worldwide in riverbeds, glacial deposits, and gravel pits.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Schist

Metamorphic

Sandstone with Mineral Veining or Crust

Sedimentary Sandstone (mostly SiO2 with Fe2O3 tinting)

sedimentary

Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)

Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)

mineral

Gypsum (variety Selenite or Alabaster)

Calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O)

Mineral

Nephrite Jade

Nephrite

Mineral/Rock