Quartz, Second Most Abundant Mineral

The second most abundant mineral in earth is quartz. Quartz is a chemical compound consisting of one part silicon and two parts oxygen. It is silicon dioxide (SiO₂). It is the most abundant mineral found at Earth’s surface, and its unique properties make it one of the most useful natural substances.

Where is Quartz Found?

Quartz is the most abundant and widely distributed mineral found at Earth’s surface. It is present and plentiful in all parts of the world. Quartz is formed at all temperatures. It is abundant in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. It is highly resistant to both mechanical and chemical weathering.

This durability makes it the dominant mineral of mountaintops and the primary constituent of beach, river, and desert sand. Quartz is ubiquitous, plentiful and durable. Minable deposits are found throughout the world.

Forms of Quartz

Quartz has been known and appreciated since pre-historic times. It is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon and oxygen atoms. Quartz exists in two forms, the normal α-quartz and the high-temperature β-quartz, both of which are chiral.

The transformation from α-quartz to β-quartz takes place abruptly at 573 °C. Since the transformation is accompanied by a significant change in volume, it can easily induce fracturing of ceramics or rocks passing through this temperature threshold.

 

 

 

 

Silicon Dioxide

Chemically, quartz is a specific form of a compound called silicon dioxide. Many materials can be formed into plates that will resonate. However, quartz is also a piezoelectric material: that is, when a quartz crystal is subject to mechanical stress, such as bending, it accumulates electrical charge across some planes.

In a reverse effect, if charges are placed across the crystal plane, quartz crystals will bend. Since quartz can be directly driven (to flex) by an electric signal, no additional transducer is required to use it in a resonator.

Second Most Abundant Mineral

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in Earth’s crust after feldspar. It occurs in nearly all acid igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Quartz is an essential mineral in such silica-rich felsic rocks as granites, granodiorites, and rhyolites. It is highly resistant to weathering and tends to concentrate in sandstones and other detrital rocks.

Secondary quartz serves as a cement in sedimentary rocks of this kind, forming overgrowths on detrital grains. Microcrystalline varieties of silica known as chert, flint, agate, and jasper consist of a fine network of quartz. Metamorphism of quartz-bearing igneous and sedimentary rocks typically increases the amount of quartz and its grain size.

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Sources

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz

www.britannica.com/science/quartz

www.mindat.org/min-3337.html

geology.com/minerals/quartz.shtml#:~:text=Quartz%20is%20a%20chemical%20compound,Transparent%20%22rock%20crystal%22%20quartz