Quartzite River Rock

Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale), Color: tan, yellow, and grey, Luster: dull to vitreous, Structure: non-foliated granoblastic, Specific Gravity: 2.6-2.7

Formed from the metamorphism of quartz sandstone under high heat and pressure. This specimen shows significant rounding and smoothing due to fluvial (river) erosion.

Primarily used as decorative landscaping stone, drainage material, or as a constituent in concrete/construction aggregates.

Quartzite is so durable that it often outlasts the mountains it was part of, appearing as pebble deposits in rivers and beaches millions of years later.

Identified in the field by its extreme hardness (cannot be scratched by a steel knife) and its grainy, sandpaper-like texture that sparkles slightly under light despite the smooth surface. Common in riverbeds globally.