metamorphic
Quartzite Pebble
Quartzite (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: tan, pinkish-brown, buff; Luster: dull to vitreous; Texture: fine to medium grained, granoblastic; Cleavage: none, fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
- Hardness
- 7 on Mohs scale
- Color
- tan, pinkish-brown, buff
- Luster
- dull to vitreous
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7 on Mohs scale; Color: tan, pinkish-brown, buff; Luster: dull to vitreous; Texture: fine to medium grained, granoblastic; Cleavage: none, fracture is conchoidal to uneven.
Formation & geological history
Formed through the metamorphism of quartz-rich sandstone under extreme heat and pressure, often found reworked into river cobbles and glacial till.
Uses & applications
Used as decorative garden stone, construction aggregate, railway ballast, and occasionally crushed for industrial silica.
Geological facts
Quartzite is extremely durable and resistant to chemical weathering, allowing rounded river pebbles of it to survive for millions of years across many erosion cycles.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its hardness (scratches glass easily), sugary texture where quartz grains have fused together, and lack of visible layering in small pebbles. Very common in glacial deposits and riverbeds worldwide.
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