mineral

Auriferous Quartz (Gold-bearing Quartz)

Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) with Elemental Gold (Au)

Hardness: 7 (quartz) vs 2.5 (gold); Color: White/milky quartz with yellow metallic inclusions and rusty iron stains; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Structure: Hexagonal (quartz); No cleavage; Specific Gravity: 2.65 (quartz), 19.3 (gold).

Hardness: 7 (quartz) vs 2
Luster: Vitreous to greasy

Identified May 6, 2026More mineral →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed in hydrothermal veins through precipitation from hot, mineral-rich fluids deep in the Earth's crust, often during orogenic (mountain-building) events.

Uses & applications

Primary source for commercial gold mining; decorative specimens for collectors; historical significance in jewelry representing 'the gold rush'.

Geological facts

Gold and quartz are frequently found together because gold is chemically inert and remains in solution with silica until temperature and pressure changes cause them to deposit simultaneously.

Field identification & locations

Identify by looking for vitreous quartz veins hosted in darker country rock with metallic yellow specks that do not shatter when poked (unlike pyrite). Commonly found in California, Alaska, Australia, and South Africa.

Other mineral specimens

See all

Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)

Arenite (SiO2 based)

sedimentary

Schist

Metamorphic

Epidote

Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)

metamorphic

Nephrite Jade

Nephrite

Mineral/Rock

Banded Gneiss (River Rock/Pebble)

Gneiss (specifically a banded variety often found as a river rock)

Metamorphic Rock

Green Apatite on Albite

Fluorapatite [Ca5(PO4)3F] on Albite [Na(AlSi3O8)]

mineral