mineral
Quartz Pebble
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale. Color: Translucent white to milky grayish-green with minor inclusion fractures. Luster: Vitreous to greasy. Crystal System: Trigonal/Hexagonal. Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture). Specific Gravity: 2.65.
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Luster
- Vitreous to greasy
Identified More mineral →
Explore Quartz Pebble in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale. Color: Translucent white to milky grayish-green with minor inclusion fractures. Luster: Vitreous to greasy. Crystal System: Trigonal/Hexagonal. Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture). Specific Gravity: 2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed from silica-rich hydrothermal fluids or within igneous and metamorphic environments. This rounded shape results from stream or beach erosion, which smoothed and water-worn the original angular quartz chunk over extended periods.
Uses & applications
Used primarily in lapidary work, jewelry, landscape decoration, and collected as common beach or river rock specimens.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Rounded, water-worn quartz pebbles are often found in riverbeds and coastal regions worldwide.
Field identification & locations
Can be identified in the field by its hardness (scratches glass readily), translucent to opaque milky white appearance, greasy-to-vitreous luster, and smooth water-worn surface. Found globally along riverbeds, beaches, and gravel deposits.
More like this
Other mineral specimens
Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)
Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Schist
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