Milky Quartz
Scientific Name: Silicon dioxide (SiO2)
Category: rock
Brief Description
A common white or translucent variety of crystalline quartz, often found as chunky, irregular fragments.
Characteristics
Waxy to vitreous luster, milky white color due to microscopic fluid inclusions, conchoidal fracture, and a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. This specimen shows some iron staining (tan/brownish patches).
Habitat
Found in hydrothermal veins, granitic pegmatites, and as cobbles in stream beds or glacial till.
When to Find It
N/A
Conservation Status
N/A
Ecological Role
Quartz is highly resistant to weathering; as it breaks down, it forms the primary component of most beach and river sand.
Easily Confused With
Calcite (distinguished by reacts with acid and is much softer) or White Feldspar (distinguished by its cleavage planes rather than irregular fracture).
Observation Tips
Look for its ability to scratch glass, which confirms it is quartz and not a softer mineral like calcite.
Interesting Facts
Milky quartz gets its cloudy appearance from tiny bubbles of gas or liquid trapped during the crystal's formation millions of years ago.
User Notes
What is this rock