mineral

Quartz with Sericite and Cinnabar

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with muscovite/sericite and mercury sulfide (HgS)

Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale for quartz; color ranges from white/milky quartz to grayish-green for the sericite matrix and vibrant red patches for cinnabar; vitreous to greasy luster; trigonal crystal system; conchoidal fracture with no true cleavage; specific gravity around 2.65.

Identified August 5, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed in hydrothermal vein systems where silica-rich fluids cooled and precipitated quartz, often incorporating surrounding altered wall rock minerals like sericite and localized metallic minerals such as cinnabar.

Uses & applications

Used primarily as a mineral specimen for educational and display collections by rock hounds and mineral collectors.

Geological facts

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust. The vivid red inclusions resembling cinnabar add significant visual interest and value to quartz matrix specimens.

Field identification & locations

Can be identified in the field by testing hardness with a steel file (quartz will scratch steel), observing the distinct greenish altered host material, and noting the stark red color of cinnabar patches. Found in hydrothermal veins worldwide.

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