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Quartz. Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO 4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO 2. Quartz is, therefore, classified structurally as a framework silicate mineral ...
A mixture of other minerals, often including pyrite. Lapis lazuli (UK: / ˌlæpɪs ˈlæz (j) ʊli, ˈlæʒʊ -, - ˌli /; US: / ˈlæz (j) əli, ˈlæʒə -, - ˌli /), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color.
Chalcedony. Chalcedony (/ kælˈsɛdəni / kal-SED-ə-nee, or / ˈkælsəˌdoʊni / KAL-sə-doh-nee) [2] is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. [3] These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic.
Smoky quartz. Smoky quartz is a brownish grey, translucent variety of quartz that ranges in clarity from almost complete transparency to an almost-opaque brownish-gray or black crystals. [6] The color of smoky quartz is produced when natural radiation, emitted from the surrounding rock, activates color centers around aluminum impurities within ...
Chert (/ tʃɜːrt /) is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, [1] the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO 2). [2] Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a chemical precipitate or a diagenetic replacement, as in petrified wood.
Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO. 2) and owes its violet color to irradiation, impurities of iron (Fe3+. ) and in some cases other transition metals, and the presence of other trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions. [2][3][4] The irradiation causes the iron Fe3+.
Granite (/ ˈɡrænɪt / GRAN-it) is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies underground.
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases, [1][2] is an opaque, [3] impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to iron (III) inclusions. Jasper breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as ...