metamorphic
Tumbled quartz-rich stone (likely milky quartz/quartzite)
Quartz (SiO₂), possibly quartzite with minor iron-oxide staining
AI-generated identification · may be incorrectWhite to cream, rounded and polished, with a sugary/vitreous-to-waxy luster and small gray-brown inclusions or pits. Quartz has Mohs hardness 7, no cleavage, conchoidal fracture, and specific gravity about 2.65; quartzite is a fine-grained interlocking quartz aggregate.
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Physical properties
White to cream, rounded and polished, with a sugary/vitreous-to-waxy luster and small gray-brown inclusions or pits. Quartz has Mohs hardness 7, no cleavage, conchoidal fracture, and specific gravity about 2.65; quartzite is a fine-grained interlocking quartz aggregate.
Formation & geological history
Milky quartz crystallizes from silica-rich fluids, while quartzite forms when sandstone is metamorphosed and recrystallized under heat and pressure. The smooth shape is human-tumbled or water-worn; its precise geological age cannot be determined visually.
Uses & applications
Common as a decorative tumbled stone, craft material, and inexpensive lapidary specimen; quartzite is also used as durable aggregate, facing stone, and construction material.
Geological facts
Quartz is one of Earth’s most abundant minerals and is the defining component of many quartz-rich rocks. The brown marks likely reflect iron oxides or trapped mineral inclusions.
Field identification & locations
Likely quartz or quartzite if it scratches glass and does not react with dilute acid; a steel nail should not scratch it. Common worldwide, especially in granitic, hydrothermal, and metamorphic terrains.
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