mineral
White Quartz (Milky Quartz)
Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale); Color: Opaque white to translucent; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
- Hardness
- 7 (Mohs scale)
- Color
- Opaque white to translucent
- Luster
- Vitreous to greasy
Identified More mineral →
Explore White Quartz (Milky Quartz) in the encyclopedia →Identify your own rocks.
Get a report just like this from any photo, free.
Physical properties
Hardness: 7 (Mohs scale); Color: Opaque white to translucent; Luster: Vitreous to greasy; Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (trigonal); Cleavage: None (conchoidal fracture); Specific Gravity: 2.65
Formation & geological history
Formed through the cooling of silica-rich magma or from hydrothermal veins. It is one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth's crust and can be found in rocks of all geological ages.
Uses & applications
Used in the manufacturing of glass and ceramics, as an abrasive in sandblasting, in electronics for its piezoelectric properties, and widely used as a decorative stone or tumbled gemstone.
Geological facts
Milky quartz gets its cloudy appearance from minute fluid inclusions of gas or liquid trapped during crystal growth. It is the most common variety of crystalline quartz.
Field identification & locations
Identify by its ability to scratch glass and its lack of cleavage. Often found in riverbeds, mountain ranges, and within quartz veins in igneous or metamorphic host rocks.
More like this
Other mineral specimens
Sandstone (with potential mineral staining/concretions)
Arenite (SiO2 based)
sedimentary
Sandstone with Mineral Veining or Crust
Sedimentary Sandstone (mostly SiO2 with Fe2O3 tinting)
sedimentary
Schist
Schist
Metamorphic
Potassium Feldspar (Orthoclase)
Orthoclase (KAlSi3O8)
mineral
Gypsum (variety Selenite or Alabaster)
Calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4·2H2O)
Mineral
Epidote
Epidote | Ca2(Al2,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)
metamorphic