metamorphic
Quartzite Pebble
Metamorphic Quartzite
Hardness of 7 on Mohs scale, color typically white, gray, pink, or reddish due to iron oxides, vitrified to sugary luster, massive crystal structure with interlocking quartz grains, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.65.
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Physical properties
Hardness of 7 on Mohs scale, color typically white, gray, pink, or reddish due to iron oxides, vitrified to sugary luster, massive crystal structure with interlocking quartz grains, conchoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed from quartz-rich sandstone or chert through regional or contact metamorphism, subjecting the parent rock to high temperatures and pressures which recrystallize the quartz grains.
Uses & applications
Used in construction, as crushed stone for road bases, railway ballast, manufacturing of silica bricks, and occasionally as decorative stone or in lapidary.
Geological facts
Quartzite is extremely durable and resistant to chemical weathering, which is why quartz-rich rocks often survive as rounded pebbles in streams and soils long after other minerals have eroded away.
Field identification & locations
Can be identified in the field by its extreme hardness (scratches glass easily and cannot be scratched by a steel knife) and the sugary appearance of fractured surfaces where quartz crystals interlock.
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