metamorphic
Quartzite with Iron Inclusions
Metamorphic Quartz (SiO2) with Hematite/Limonite
Hardness: 7; Color: Tan, brown, and grey with crystalline patches; Luster: Vitreous to dull; Structure: Granular/Granoblastic; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture).
- Hardness
- 7
- Color
- Tan, brown, and grey with crystalline patches
- Luster
- Vitreous to dull
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Physical properties
Hardness: 7; Color: Tan, brown, and grey with crystalline patches; Luster: Vitreous to dull; Structure: Granular/Granoblastic; Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture).
Formation & geological history
Formed from the recrystallization of quartz-rich sandstone under intense heat and pressure, typically during mountain-building events (orogeny).
Uses & applications
Used primarily as crushed stone for road construction, railroad ballast, and occasionally as decorative landscaping stone or for manufacturing silica glass.
Geological facts
Quartzite is so tough that it often outlasts the surrounding rocks during erosion, remaining as resistant ridges on the landscape.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its ability to scratch glass and its grainy, sandpaper-like texture that unlike sandstone, breaks through the grains rather than around them. Commonly found in riverbeds and ancient tectonic belts.
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