mineral

Quartz Pebble

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Cream, tan, and orange-brown due to iron staining; Luster: Waxy to vitreous; Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: None/Conchoidal fracture.

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale
Color: Cream, tan, and orange-brown due to iron staining
Luster: Waxy to vitreous

Identified July 20, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Cream, tan, and orange-brown due to iron staining; Luster: Waxy to vitreous; Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: None/Conchoidal fracture.

Formation & geological history

Formed from hydrothermal veins or as a primary constituent of igneous rocks. This specific specimen is a water-worn river pebble, smoothed by mechanical erosion over thousands of years and likely stained by iron oxides in its environment.

Uses & applications

Tumbled quartz is used for decorative landscaping, filler in construction, aquarium gravel, and occasionally for lapidary tumbling practice or metaphysical collecting.

Geological facts

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Its durability and chemical stability allow it to persist long after the parent rock has eroded away, which is why it is the main component of most beach and river sand.

Field identification & locations

Identify in the field by its hardness (it will scratch glass) and lack of cleavage. Common in riverbeds, beaches, and glacial till. This specimen shows typical 'iron staining' where iron minerals have leached into microscopic fractures in the quartz.