mineral
Quartz (Quartz Pebble)
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless to milky translucent; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- Colorless to milky translucent
- Luster
- Vitreous to greasy
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: Colorless to milky translucent; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Crystal Structure: Trigonal/Hexagonal; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Forms in a wide variety of geological environments including igneous pegmatites, metamorphic rocks, and hydrothermal veins. Water-worn pebbles are smoothed by stream or river erosion.
Uses & applications
Used extensively in gemstone carving, lapidary arts, electronics (piezoelectric crystals), glassmaking, abrasives, and as mineral specimens.
Geological facts
Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. Pure quartz, historically called rock crystal, was thought by ancient Greeks to be permanently frozen ice.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its scratch hardness (scratches glass easily), lack of cleavage, conchoidal fracture, and glassy luster. Commonly found in riverbeds, beach gravels, and pegmatite deposits worldwide.
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