Quartz Mineral Data

Quartz Mineral Data +

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General Quartz Information

Chemical Formula:

SiO2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 60.08 gm

Silicon 46.74 % Si 100.00 % SiO₂

Oxygen 53.26 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

(SiO₂)

Environment:

Sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) Prehistoric

Locality:

Very common mineral found world wide. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the German "quarz", of uncertain origin.

Synonym:

Agate - banded variety of chaledony

Amethyst - purple

Avanturine - feebly translucent chalcedony

Carnelian - flesh red chalcedony

Cat's Eye - chatoyant

Chalcedony - microcrystalline quartz

Chert - cryptocrystalline quartz

Chrysoprase - apple green chalcedony

Citrine - yellow

Flint - microcrystalline quartz

Hornstone - flint

Jasper - red or brown chalcedony

Moss Agate - variety of chaledony

Plasma - green chalcedony

Prase - leek green chalcedony

Rock Crystal

Rose Quartz - rose colored

Sapphire Quartz - blue colored

Smoky Quartz - brown to black

Tiger Eye - pseudomorph of asbestos

Quartz Image

Images:

Quartz Calcite

Comments: Purple-colored druse of amethystine quartz and white calcite.
Location: Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Scale: Sample size 20 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy

Images:

Quartz Chalcopyrite

Comments: Well-formed crystals of chalcopyrite and quartz.
Location: Boldut mine, 61 level (350 meters deep), Cavnic, Maramures, Rumania. Scale: 5.5 x 3.5 cm.
© Fabre Minerals

Images:

Quartz Ilvaite

Comments: Black, prismatic ilvaite with quartz.
Location: First Sovietskij mine, Dalnjegorsk, Russia. Scale: 3.5 x 4.5 cm.
© Fabre Minerals

Images:

Quartz

Comments: Crystal druse of transparent quartz crystals.
Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA. Scale: Specimen size 6 cm.
© Dave Barthelmy

Images:

Quartz Apatite-(CaF)

Comments: Purple crystal of fluorapatite on slightly smoky quartz crystals. Former Dr. E.E. David and Houston Museum collections.
Location: Pech, Kunar Province, Nuristan, Afghanistan. Scale: Crystal size 3.0 x 2.1 x 1.7 cm.
© Ed Rosenzweig

Images:

Quartz Epistilbite

Comments: White epistilbite cluster 25 mm across on amethyst quartz crystal matrix.
Location: Sawda, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India. Scale: 10x8x5 cm.
© John Betts - Fine Minerals

Images:

Quartz

Comments: Slightly smokey quartz overgrown with rose quartz. Note the exceptional transparency of the rose quartz.
Location: Lavra da Ilha, Taquaral, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Scale: 10 cm by 5.2 cm.
© Kevin Ward

Quartz Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:1.10013

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.9133, c = 5.4053, Z = 3; V = 113.00 Den(Calc)= 2.65

Crystal System:

Trigonal - TrapezohedralH-M Symbol (3 2) Space Group: P 3₁21,P 3₂21

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.342(1), 4.257(0.22), 1.8179(0.14),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 2 1 1) ( 1 0 1) ( 6 1 1) ( 1 0 0) ( 0 1 1)

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Crystal Structure:

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Levien L , Prewitt C T , Weidner D J , American Mineralogist , 65 (1980) p.920-930, Structure and elastic properties of quartz at pressure, P = 1 atm

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Quartz
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Quartz

Cleavage:

[0110] Indistinct

Color:

Brown, Colorless, Violet, Gray, Yellow.

Density:

2.6 - 2.65, Average = 2.62

Diaphaniety:

Transparent

Fracture:

Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).

Habit:

Crystalline - Coarse - Occurs as well-formed coarse sized crystals.

Habit:

Crystalline - Fine - Occurs as well-formed fine sized crystals.

Habit:

Druse - Crystal growth in a cavity which results in numerous crystal tipped surfaces.

Hardness:

7 - Quartz

Luminescence:

Triboluminescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Quartz

Dichroism (e):

none.

Dichroism (w):

none.

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.005 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.005 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.207,KPDmeas= 0.209,KC= 0.208

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (+), w=1.543-1.545, e=1.552-1.554, bire=0.0090.

Calculated Properties of Quartz

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.65 gm/cc
note: r_Quartz=2.65 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.02208
Boson Index = 0.97792

Photoelectric:

PE_Quartz= 1.80 barns/electron
U=PE_Quartzx r_electron= 4.76 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Quartz is Not Radioactive

Quartz Classification

Dana Class:

75.1.3.1 (75)Tectosilicate Si Tetrahedral Frameworks

(75.1)SiO2 with [4] coordinated Si

(75.1.3)Dana Group

75.1.3.1 Quartz SiO2 P 3₁21,P 3₂21 3 2

Strunz Class:

IV/D.01-10 IV - Oxides

IV/D - Oxides with metal : oxygen = 1:2 (MO2 and related compounds)

IV/D.01 - Quartz group

IV/D.01-10 Quartz SiO2 P 3₁21,P 3₂21 3 2

IV/D.01-20 Tridymite SiO2 F1 1

IV/D.01-30 Cristobalite SiO2 P 4₁2₁2 4 2 2

IV/D.01-35 Moganite! SiO2 I2/a 2/m

IV/D.01-40 Melanophlogite SiO2•n(C,H,O,S) P 4₁/nbc 4/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.01-40* Melanophlogite-beta! SiO2•n(C,H,O,S) P m3n 4/m 3 2/m

IV/D.01-50 Coesite SiO2 C 2/c 2/m

IV/D.01-60 Stishovite SiO2 P 4/mnm 4/m 2/m 2/m

IV/D.01-70 Lechatelierite* SiO2 None

IV/D.01-80 Opal SiO2•n(H2O) None

Other Quartz Information

References:

NAME( Sinkankas66) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Mason68)

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Quartz Specimen Label here :

Quartz

SiO2
Dana No: 75.01.03.01 Strunz No: 04.DA.05
Locality:

Notes: