Quartz Mixed Mineral Specimen

You will receive the exact crystal shown. Second most abundant mineral in the earths crust. It is a crystalline form of silicon dioxide (Silicon and oxygen). Form in either ingenious rock or environments with geothermal waters. Macrocrystalline quartz basically forms in three geological environments: in silica-rich molten rock during cooling and solidification in pegmatites during and following pneumatolytic processes in mostly watery solutions of silica under various conditions In these environments individual crystals grow by adding molecules at their surface, layer by layer Quartz is usually the last mineral to crystalize, and it typically fills in the spaces between other minerals and rock formations. In ingenious rocks quartz forms as magma cools. Silicon dioxide crystalizes as it cools. Slow cooling generally allows the crystals to grow larger. Forms in open cavities in rocks and deep within the earth. When formed in open-cavity rocks, quartz takes the shape of hexagonal prismatic crystals. When formed within the earth, it usually crystallizes in small, round masses. Quartz typically grows in hot watery solutions, in hydrothermal environments, at temperatures between 100-450 degrees Celsius and often high pressure. Quartz grows by the addition of dissolved orthosilicic acid from surrounding rocks. When the temperature and pressure fall, crystals form and if the changes are steady and slow, present crystals will continue to grow. With the falling temperatures, eventually the growth of the crystals will stop. Geothermal water quartz forms when silicon dioxide dissolves in water at a high temperature and pressure and when the temperature or pressure drops, the solution becomes saturated and forms quartz crystals. The best quartz forms as a six-sided prism terminating with six sided pyramids at each end. This occurs when the crystals are allowed unconstrained growth into a void, such as a naturally occurring geode. A major mining location for high purity quartz is the Spruce Pine Gem Mine in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. The largest documented single crystal or quartz was found in Brazil. It was 6.1 by 1.5 by 1.5 meters and weighed 39,916 kilograms. The majority of Clear Quartz comes from Brazil, but also found in US, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Russia and other locations. 7 on the Moh’s hardness scale. Very resistant to weathering. Quartz is derived from the German word Quarz, which came from the polish term Kwardy, which corresponds to the Czech term Tvrdy, meaning hard. Ancient Greeks referred to it as Krustallos, derived from Kruos, meaning ‘icy cold’, due to philosophers believing the mineral to be a form of supercooled ice.