mineral

Quartz with Mineral Inclusions

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with accessory minerals

Hardness: 7 (Mohs); Color: Milky white to translucent with black and brownish-green inclusions; Luster: Vitreous to waxy; Texture: River-worn, rounded and smooth with some pitting; Fracture: Conchoidal.

Hardness: 7 (Mohs)
Luster: Vitreous to waxy

Identified July 4, 2026More mineral →

Explore Quartz with Mineral Inclusions in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed from hydrothermal solutions or cooling magma where quartz crystallizes along with other minerals like black tourmaline (schorl), chlorite, or iron oxides. This specimen has been naturally tumbled and polished by water action in a river or stream bed.

Uses & applications

Primarily for decorative stone collecting, garden landscaping, or as a pocket stone. Large, high-purity quartz uses range from electronics to glassmaking.

Geological facts

Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth's crust. The dark spots are likely 'inclusions', which are foreign materials trapped inside the crystal as it grew millions of years ago.

Field identification & locations

Identify in the field by its hardness (will scratch glass) and lack of cleavage. Common in riverbeds, mountains, and gravel pits worldwide. For collectors, look for unique patterns created by the dark inclusions.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Schist

Metamorphic

Epidote

Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)

metamorphic

Gypsum (variety Selenite or Alabaster)

Calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O)

Mineral

Nephrite Jade

Nephrite

Mineral/Rock

Granite

Granite (Phaneritic intrusive igneous rock)

igneous