sedimentary
Quartz Pebble
Crystalline Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: white to light gray, translucent; Luster: waxy to vitreous; Crystal structure: Trigonal (though rounded by water); Specific gravity: 2.65
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- white to light gray, translucent
- Luster
- waxy to vitreous
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: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: white to light gray, translucent; Luster: waxy to vitreous; Crystal structure: Trigonal (though rounded by water); Specific gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed via crystallization from silica-rich fluids (hydrothermal or igneous) and later eroded into a stream or beach pebble through water action, likely during the Holocene or Pleistocene era.
Uses & applications
Used in construction aggregates, landscaping, and occasionally as a source of silica for glassmaking or in jewelry lapidary for tumbling.
Geological facts
Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth's crust. Most beach and river pebbles in temperate zones are composed of quartz because of its extreme physical and chemical durability compared to other minerals.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its inability to be scratched by steel, its smooth water-worn surface, and its resistance to acid. Commonly found in riverbeds, glacial deposits, and along coastlines.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Mudstone
Argillite / Siliciclastic sedimentary rock
sedimentary
Cone-in-cone structure (Limestone)
Cone-in-cone structure (Secondary Sedimentary Structure)
sedimentary
Brown Sandstone (River Rock)
Arenite
sedimentary
Sandstone Grain
Clastic Sedimentary Rock Grain (SiO2 dominated)
sedimentary
Chert Breccia
Brecciated Chert (Microcrystalline Silica)
sedimentary