metamorphic
Quartzite
Metamorphic Quartzite
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, color typically ranges from white to gray, but can include pink, red, or brown due to iron oxides. It has a sugary texture, vitreous to greasy luster, and breaks across quartz grains rather than around them.
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Physical properties
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, color typically ranges from white to gray, but can include pink, red, or brown due to iron oxides. It has a sugary texture, vitreous to greasy luster, and breaks across quartz grains rather than around them.
Formation & geological history
Formed from quartz-rich sandstone or chert under high temperatures and pressures associated with tectonic compression during regional metamorphism.
Uses & applications
Used in construction, as crushed stone for road bases, in railroad ballast, for decorative landscaping, and occasionally as a dimension stone for architecture and countertops.
Geological facts
Because quartz is extremely resistant to weathering and chemical attack, quartzite retains its integrity long after other rocks have eroded. It is exceptionally durable and weather-resistant.
Field identification & locations
Can be identified in the field by its extreme hardness (it will easily scratch glass and cannot be scratched by a steel knife) and the way it fractures cleanly through quartz crystals rather than crumbling between grains like sandstone.
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