She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter. Updated March 25, Key Takeaways: Quartzite Rock Quartzite is a hard, nonfoliated metamorphic rock formed by the action of heat and pressure upon sandstone. Usually, the rock is white or gray, but it occurs in other pale colors. It has a grainy, rough surface. Magnification reveals a mosaic of quartz crystals. Pure quartzite consists entirely of silicon dioxide, but usually iron oxide and trace minerals are present.
Quartzite occurs in folded mountain ranges at convergent plate boundaries worldwide. Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph. Quartzite Rock Geology and Uses. Rhyolite Rock Facts: Geology and Uses. How to Identify the 3 Major Types of Rocks. Get to Know 24 Types of Sedimentary Rock. Rock Provenance by Petrologic Methods.
Conglomerate Rock: Geology, Composition, Uses. How to Identify 10 Red and Pink Minerals. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for ThoughtCo. Instead of bending over to strike the rock, it is often better to get down on one knee and strike the rock with a downward motion. Then, when the rock breaks, the hammer and most of the broken pieces of rock will fly down and hit the ground.
Be certain that nearby field partners are warned and safely away. Hold the base of your goggles with your free hand before striking the rock. That will protect the lower half of your face from sparks and sharp flakes of high velocity rock. You have been warned. Quartzite Countertop: A kitchen island countertop made of quartzite. In the dimension stone industry, some quartzite is sold as "granite" because in that industry, any hard silicate rock is often called "granite.
Quartzite arrowhead: Quartzite was often used as a tool by early people. It is durable enough for use as impact tools such as hammerstones. It breaks with a conchoidal fracture, which made it useful for tools with sharp edges, such as hoes, axes, and scrapers. Although it is very difficult to knap, some ancient people were able to knap it into knife blades and projectile points. The photo shows a quartzite arrowhead found in Alabama. If the arrowhead is turned under a bright light, the grains in the quartzite produce a sparkling luster.
Quartzite has a diversity of uses in construction, manufacturing, architecture, and decorative arts. Although its properties are superior to many currently used materials, its consumption has always been low for various reasons. The uses of quartzite and some reasons that it is avoided are summarized below. In architecture, marble and granite have been the favorite materials for thousands of years.
Quartzite, with a Mohs hardness of seven along with greater toughness, is superior to both in many uses. It stands up better to abrasion in stair treads, floor tiles, and countertops. It is more resistant to most chemicals and environmental conditions. It is available in a range of neutral colors that many people enjoy. The use of quartzite in these uses is growing slowly as more people learn about it. There are also man-made materials marketed under the name quartzite.
They can be attractive and durable with a cost comparable to natural materials. Read the marketing materials prepared by the manufacturer. Quartzite can be an extremely durable crushed stone that is suitable for use in the most demanding applications. Its soundness and abrasion resistance are superior to most other materials. Unfortunately, the same durability that makes quartzite a superior construction material also limits its use.
Its hardness and toughness cause heavy wear on crushers, screens, truck beds, cutting tools, loaders, tires, tracks, drill bits, and other equipment. As a result, the use of quartzite is mainly limited to geographic areas where other aggregates are not available. Quartzite is valued as a raw material because of its high silica content.
These are mined and used to manufacture glass, ferrosilicon, manganese ferrosilicon, silicon metal, silicon carbide, and other materials. Color Usually white or gray, can be other colors, due to impurities. Related topics: Silicon Element. Aggregates Teacher Guide. Quartzite also tends to have a sugary appearance and glassy lustre. The variety of colours displayed by quartzite are a consequence of minor amounts of impurities being incorporated with the quartz during metamorphism.
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