sedimentary
Quartz pebble
Silicon dioxide (SiO2)
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectHardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, typically white or translucent grey, vitreous luster, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity of 2.65.
Identified More sedimentary →
Explore Quartz pebble in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, typically white or translucent grey, vitreous luster, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity of 2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the mechanical weathering and prolonged aqueous transport of parent igneous or metamorphic rocks, smoothing angular fragments into rounded pebbles over millions of years.
Uses & applications
Used in landscaping, decorative aggregates, and as raw material for glass manufacturing and abrasive blasting.
Geological facts
Quartz is one of the most abundant and stable minerals in Earth's continental crust, highly resistant to both chemical and physical weathering.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its high hardness (scratches glass), lack of cleavage, and rounded stream-worn shape; found universally in riverbeds and beaches.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Fossil-bearing concretion, possibly containing a fossil shell or other organic inclusion
Calcareous concretion; exact fossil and host-rock composition are not identifiable from the image
fossil
Fossiliferous Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary limestone with invertebrate fossil imprint
fossil
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Sandstone
Arenite
sedimentary
Shale
Shale (clastic sedimentary rock)
sedimentary
Shale (or Mudstone/Siltstone)
Sedimentary Mudrock (SiO2, Al2O3 base with clay minerals)
sedimentary