Quartz

Quartz is a mineral made entirely of silicon and oxygen. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth’s continental crust after feldspar. It can be found as big crystals in igneous rocks.

Check out the video of an amazing quartz vein someone came across! >>

Properties of Quartz:

Quartz comes in many shades based on the impurities it contains. The most common varieties are milky (white), smoky (gray/ black), rose (pink), amethyst (purple) and rock crystal (clear).

Quartz has a glassy, non-metallic luster and a Moh’s hardness of 7. To identify a sample of quartz or a rock high in quartz content, you use a glass plate. Because quartz is harder than glass, it will scratch it. Quartz has no cleavage planes.

Where quartz is found in NC:

The biggest deposits of quartz in NC are in the pegmatites in the Spruce Pine district. Quartz is found as big crystals and veins in igneous and metamorphic rocks, but also ends up in sedimentary rocks and sand from the erosion of other rocks.

The largest quartz crystal that's on display is in Namibia.

The largest chunks of quartz in the world have been mined in Brazil (South America) and Namibia (Africa). Some have taken up to three years to dig up!

In the US, huge ones like this one have been found in Arkansas -->

Uses:

Silicon computer chips and other electronic components
Parts for watches and jewelry
Sandpaper
Glass lenses for instruments like microscopes and cameras

One of the main reasons why quartz is used in cell phones, watches and other electronics is because it conducts electricity when you put pressure on it, like when you press a button!

< Microchips like this one are made with components that come from quartz.

Fun Facts:

Almost every silicon computer chip in the world is made from high-purity quartz from Spruce Pine.
The quartz in Spruce Pine, along with the other minerals there, was formed about 380 Million years ago from the collision of Africa and North America, under very high heat and low water.
The largest chunks of quartz have been mined in Brazil, Namibia and Arkansas.