mineral
Quartz with Iron Oxide Staining
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness 7 on Mohs scale, milky white to tan/reddish color due to iron oxides, vitreous to dull luster, trigonal crystal system, irregular to conchoidal fracture.
Identified More mineral →
Explore Quartz with Iron Oxide Staining in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness 7 on Mohs scale, milky white to tan/reddish color due to iron oxides, vitreous to dull luster, trigonal crystal system, irregular to conchoidal fracture.
Formation & geological history
Formed through hydrothermal deposition or crystallization from igneous and metamorphic activity. Common in hydrothermal veins and pegmatites worldwide.
Uses & applications
Used primarily as decorative rocks, gravel, in landscaping, and occasionally as industrial source material for silica glass and electronics.
Geological facts
Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth's continental crust. Iron staining gives white quartz a distinct orange, red, or brownish appearance along cracks and surface textures.
Field identification & locations
Easily identified by its inability to be scratched by steel (hardness 7), lack of cleavage, and translucent to opaque milky white appearance with reddish-brown weathering rings.
More like this
Other mineral specimens
Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)
Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Schist
Schist
Metamorphic
Sandstone with Mineral Veining or Crust
Sedimentary Sandstone (mostly SiO2 with Fe2O3 tinting)
sedimentary
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)
Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)
mineral
Gypsum (variety Selenite or Alabaster)
Calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O)
Mineral
Nephrite Jade
Nephrite
Mineral/Rock