metamorphic
Quartzite with Quartz Veins
Metamorphic Quartzite (SiO2)
Hardness of 7 on Mohs scale; light reddish-brown to purplish tone; dull to vitreous luster; microcrystalline texture intersected by fine white quartz mineral veins; extremely resistant to weathering.
Identified More metamorphic →
Explore Quartzite with Quartz Veins in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness of 7 on Mohs scale; light reddish-brown to purplish tone; dull to vitreous luster; microcrystalline texture intersected by fine white quartz mineral veins; extremely resistant to weathering.
Formation & geological history
Formed when quartz-rich sandstone undergoes intense heat and pressure during regional metamorphism, fusing quartz grains into a dense matrix. White veins were created later by hydrothermal fluids filling fractures.
Uses & applications
Used in construction as crushed stone, railway ballast, decorative garden stone, and landscaping rock.
Geological facts
Quartzite is so tough that when it breaks, it fractures through the individual quartz grains rather than along the boundaries between them, unlike sandstone.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its high hardness (scratches glass readily) and smooth, water-worn river cobble shape with cross-cutting white quartz fracture fillings. Commonly found along riverbeds, glacial deposits, and mountainous metamorphic terrains.
More like this
