Weathered sandstone

Fine- to medium-grained, tan-yellow, dull to weakly earthy luster, with visible sand grains and friable texture. Typical hardness is about 6–7 for quartz grains, but the specimen breaks easily; no obvious cleavage or crystal faces, and specific gravity is roughly 2.2–2.7.

Lithified sand deposited in a river, beach, dune, or shallow-marine environment, then cemented by silica, iron oxides, or carbonate. Its precise geological age cannot be determined from the photograph; sandstone is widespread in northern European sedimentary terrains.

Used as building and paving stone, aggregate, and occasionally decorative stone. This small weathered fragment has negligible commercial value, typically under $1, or about $2–$10 if sold as an educational specimen.

The yellow-brown color likely reflects iron-oxide staining. A sandy feel, visible grains, and gritty fracture distinguish it from massive quartz or many crystalline minerals.

Commonly found as loose fragments in soil, stream beds, glacial deposits, and construction gravel. A hand lens should reveal interlocking or rounded quartz grains; scratching with a steel nail is a useful but imperfect test. The reported Vologda-region location makes sandstone or a glacially transported sandstone fragment plausible, though the exact source cannot be established visually.