mineral

Tumbled milky quartz

Quartz, silicon dioxide (SiO₂)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness 7 Mohs; white to cream, translucent, with vitreous-to-waxy luster and irregular conchoidal fracture. The brown surface is likely iron-oxide staining; no obvious cleavage or crystal faces are visible.

Identified August 8, 2026More mineral →

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Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Quartz crystallized from silica-rich hydrothermal fluids or igneous veins, commonly during Precambrian to younger geological events, then weathered and naturally or artificially rounded. The specimen appears waterworn or tumbled.

Uses & applications

Used as an ornamental stone, lapidary material, carving stock, and inexpensive collectible; quartz also has major industrial uses in glass, ceramics, electronics, and abrasives.

Geological facts

Milky quartz contains microscopic fluid inclusions, fractures, or impurities that scatter light and create its cloudy appearance. Iron oxides commonly produce yellow, orange, and brown staining.

Field identification & locations

Identify by its glassy translucence, great hardness, lack of cleavage, and inability to be scratched by a steel knife; it should scratch ordinary glass. Common in quartz veins, pegmatites, stream gravels, and hydrothermal deposits worldwide.