Types of Quartz Minerals

Quartz is a type of silicate mineral that belongs to the framework silicate group, which is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust. This type of mineral is formed during the last stages of magmatic differentiation based on the bowen’s reaction series. It is composed of the element silica and oxygen, that are bonded together to form silicate tetrahedral molecule(SO2).

Classification of Quartz.

Quartz can be classified into microcrystalline and cryptocrystalline quartz but our main focus in this blog will be on microcrystalline quartz, which is formed as result of the addition of molecules to the surface of the crystals . Microcrystalline has two polymorphs that are formed under equilibrium conditions based on the single component phase diagram; which are Alpha quartz and Beta quartz whose difference is based on structures for instance, Alpha quartz has a trigonal structure while Beta has a hexagonal structure. Quartz is characterized by its transparence and vitreous luster often along the fractures.

Types of quartz Minerals

There are several types of quartz minerals but in this blog I will only discuss about five of these type of quartz minerals, which are the most common types, this includes;

Amethyst.

This is type of quartz mineral that is popularly known for its transparent purple color which is formed from the presence of iron impurity embedded in the mineral, this color tends to fade when exposed to UV or direct sunlight, in the past this type of mineral was valued as any other precious mineral not until massive deposits of amethyst where discovered, it is still admired and adored for its vibrate purple color.

Smoky Quartz.

This type of quartz has a transparent smoky cloud that has an appearance of dark brown, it is also known Morion quartz, the smoky dark brown is caused by the presence of minute amount of aluminum that displaced the silicon element in the quartz minerals.

Citrine Quartz

This type of quartz is popularly known for its clear yellow transparence vitreous luster and also displays color varying between golden yellow to clear light depending upon the temperature.

Milky Quartz.

This particular type of quartz is commonly found almost everywhere in nature, it has opaque luster with a milky color, caused by the presence of gas or fluid inclusion that were trapped within the mineral. This type of mineral is normally formed under unstable conditions.

Rose Quartz

This type of quartz has a pink color formed under rapid cooling conditions and has little to no crystals formed in the mineral. The pink color is caused by the presence of the rutile impurities present in the mineral.

Economic significance of Quartz

Quartz is known for its resistance to chemical weathering and transparence properties, which makes it suitable for the design of optical lenses, it can be melted and forged into glass. This type of mineral also can be used to make ornament, quartz has played an important role in our modern technology with the help of science and innovation, scientist have discovered that when quartz is subjected to mechanical pressure it emities an electrical impulse known as a piezoelectric, this new discovery has leady to the development of wrist watches that utilize this property.

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