metamorphic
Quartzite
Metamorphic Quartzite (SiO2)
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, color ranges from white and grey to pink or reddish due to iron oxides, vitrified to sugary luster, concoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.65.
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Physical properties
Hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, color ranges from white and grey to pink or reddish due to iron oxides, vitrified to sugary luster, concoidal fracture, specific gravity around 2.65.
Formation & geological history
Formed when quartz-rich sandstone is subjected to high heat and pressure usually associated with tectonic compression in orogenic belts.
Uses & applications
Used in construction, as crushed stone for roads, manufacture of railway ballast, and occasionally as a decorative facing stone or countertop material.
Geological facts
Pure quartzite is one of the most chemically inert and physically durable rocks on Earth, often weathering out to form prominent ridges.
Field identification & locations
Identified by its inability to be scratched by a knife and its tendency to break across the quartz grains rather than around them; found worldwide in ancient mountain belts.
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