QUARTZ

What is it and where is it formed? Quartz is the most common mineral in the Earth’s crust. Quartz is in sandstones, granites, and other igneous rocks. It forms veins in the cracks of rocks. There is a lot of heat and water where they form. Crystals are made when the quartz cools down. The way the crystal looks depends on how hot it was when it was formed. Quartz is a part of almost any kind of rock—igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. It can be found in layers or geodes, too. Geodes are hollow rocks that are lined with crystals. How and where is it mined? Quartz is mined by surface mining most of the time. A backhoe is used to take away the dirt and rock that is covering the vein. Only large mines own and use heavy equipment all the time. The miners might blast with explosives but they will use the littlest amount that will get the job done. They don’t want to take a chance of ruining the quartz with the blast. When the quartz vein is uncovered, everything slows down so that the heavy equipment won’t ruin the minerals. They will work by hand with a pick and shovel once they can see the quartz. They might use chisels, pry bars, and dentist tools to get the quartz out without wrecking it. If it is damaged at all, it might not sell for as much money. The quartz is taken out, wrapped in newspaper, and put in some kind of box or pail until it can be taken away to be cleaned. Quartz is mined in: Brazil and the U.S.A. [Arkansas]. What is it used for? Quartz is used in radios, as crystal gems, sandpaper, soap, prisms, glass, paints, clocks, watches, and computers. It is used for radar, radios, and TVs because it conducts electricity.
	Quartz is sometimes used as a crystal ball for telling the future or for telling people what diseases they have.
	Pure quartz is clear. Many kinds fluoresce. Mostly they make a white or green color.

Mineral Characteristic	What the mineralogists say	Kid's Guide: What it REALLY means!
Chemical Symbol	SiO2	It has oxygen and silicon in it.
Color	Most common are clear, white, or cloudy.	There are lots of colors of quartz but the ones that are seen most often are clear, white, or milky.
Streak	White	If it was ground up into a powder, it would be white.
Transparency	Transparent to opaque	You might see through some, find others blurry to look through, or not see through some at all. It really has to do with how much light can pass through them.
Luster	Vitreous	If you shine a light on the mineral, it looks glassy.
Cleavage	None	If you break the mineral, it will not split cleanly.
Fracture	Conchoidal	Pieces of mineral have a smooth, shell-like surface when they are broken.
Magnetism	None	It will not attract, or be attracted to, a magnet.
Hardness	7	It is toward the top of the Moh’s scale of hardness. It is hard and can scratch glass which is hard.
Specific gravity	2.65	It is not very heavy.
Crystal Shape	Hexagonal