sedimentary
Quartz Veined Siltstone
Siltstone with Quartz (SiO2) intrusion
Hardness: 6.5-7 (vein), 4-6 (host), Color: Grey with white/pinkish band, Luster: Dull (host) to vitreous (vein), Structure: Fine-grained clastic matrix with crystalline vein
- Hardness
- 6
Identified More sedimentary →
Explore Quartz Veined Siltstone in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 6.5-7 (vein), 4-6 (host), Color: Grey with white/pinkish band, Luster: Dull (host) to vitreous (vein), Structure: Fine-grained clastic matrix with crystalline vein
Formation & geological history
Formed from consolidated silt-sized particles in aqueous environments, later fractured by tectonic activity allowing silica-rich hydrothermal fluids to crystallize into quartz veins. Located in southeast Ireland, common in Bray Group or Ordovician strata.
Uses & applications
Primarily used as aggregate, beach pebble collecting, and for garden landscaping. Quartz veins are often searched for by prospectors as indicators of mineralization.
Geological facts
The coordinate 52.6N, 6.2W puts this near Gorey/Courtown, Ireland. This area is famous for 'Banded Rocks' and Silurian/Ordovician sedimentary rocks shaped by the Caledonian orogen.
Field identification & locations
Identified by the distinct white band (vein) cutting across a darker, fine-grained sedimentary rock. Common on Irish East Coast beaches like Courtown or Brittas Bay.
More like this
Other sedimentary specimens
Sandstone or Siltstone
Arenite (if sandstone)
Sedimentary
Mudstone
Argillite / Siliciclastic sedimentary rock
sedimentary
Brown Sandstone (River Rock)
Arenite
sedimentary
Cone-in-cone structure (Limestone)
Cone-in-cone structure (Secondary Sedimentary Structure)
sedimentary
Sandstone Grain
Clastic Sedimentary Rock Grain (SiO2 dominated)
sedimentary
Shale or Slaty Mudstone
Argillaceous sedimentary rock
sedimentary