metamorphic
Quartzite Pebble (with Quartz Vein)
Meta-quartzite (SiO2-dominated metamorphic rock)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: purplish-gray to brownish-pink with a white quartz vein; Luster: dull to faintly vitreous; Grain size: fine to medium sand-grade quartz grains recrystallized into a interlocking texture; Specific Gravity: ~2.65.
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- purplish-gray to brownish-pink with a white quartz vein
- Luster
- dull to faintly vitreous
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: purplish-gray to brownish-pink with a white quartz vein; Luster: dull to faintly vitreous; Grain size: fine to medium sand-grade quartz grains recrystallized into a interlocking texture; Specific Gravity: ~2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed when quartz-rich sandstone was subjected to high heat and pressure during regional metamorphism, causing quartz grains to recrystallize and fuse together. Quartz veins formed when hydrothermal silica-rich fluids filled fractures prior to weathering and erosion into a river/beach pebble.
Uses & applications
Used as crushed stone in construction, road base, decorative landscaping pebbles, and aquascaping.
Geological facts
Quartzite is extremely durable and resistant to chemical weathering. Due to its hardness (Mohs 7), it breaks through the quartz grains rather than along their boundaries, unlike original sandstone.
Field identification & locations
Identify in the field by its sugary texture on close inspection, hardness that easily scratches glass and steel, and rounded water-worn pebble morphology. Commonly found along stream beds, lake shores, and glacial deposits globally.
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