Name:
Quartz		 Origin of name:
from German quarz, which is possibly from western Slavonic kwardy, meaning hard		 Chemical composition:
SiO2

Quartz is the commonest of all minerals, found as a contstituent in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. It occurs in a variety of forms, massive and granular as well as crystalline.

Crystalline quartz is usually in the form of prisms, terminated by rhombohedra or pyramids. Clear and coloured crystalline varieties, such as rock crystal, smoky quartz, and amethyst are valued for use in jewellery and ornaments.

Quartz is used as a raw material in glass manufacture, as a building material (sand), and as an abrasive. It is also used in the electrical and electronics industry.

Crystal system:
trigonal/hexagonal
Class:
Oxides
Hardness:
7
Cleavage:
none
Colour:
colourless, to almost any colour
Specific gravity:
2.65

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