Facts about Quartz
Posted by Admin / in Science Facts
Facts about Quartz
- Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals on the earth's surface.
- Quartz is contained in all types of bedrock (metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous).
- Quartz is also found in natural sand and gravel.
- In general, the chemical composition of quartz is silicon dioxide (SiO2). Quartz contains the elements silicon and oxygen.
- Quartz is a very hard mineral. It has a hardness rating of 7 on the Mohs scale.
- Quartz forms in a crystal structure. The crystals can be small like in the individual pieces of sand or very large.
- Quartz alone is a colorless transparent to opaque material. Extra elements added to the silicon and oxygen add color to quartz in nature.
- Quartz has a unique electrical property. It is called piezoelectical. Quartz crystals are used in electronics to transfer mechancial energy into electrical signal or digital electrical signal into mechanical movement.
- A geode is a plain-looking rock that has a hollow space inside. This hallow space allowed the formation of crystals. Most geodes contain quartz crystals, although some contain calcite crystals.
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Fruit and Vegetable Electrical Generation
See the Experiment: This experiment uses simple fruits or vegetables to generate electricity. Great for teaching kids about stored energy. - Types of quartz include amethyst, blue quartz, cactus quartz, chalcedony, Herkimer diamond, Faden quartz, Rose quartz, Scepter quartz, Smoky quartz and rainbow quartz. There are many other types of quartz as well.
- Quartz has a wide ranges of uses. It was used for its hardness properties, its transparent appearance and its unique electrical properties.
- Quartz in the form of rock is used for almost every building project built throughout the world. Its hardness and crystal shape provide a great deal of strength to the rock.
- Although they are very common and not nearly as valuable as precious gems such as diamonds, quartz crystals have been used through history as a gemstone in jewelry and decorations.
- Quartz crystals have a piezoelectric property that is widely used in electronics. Radios, microphones, robotics, timers, clocks, buzzers, watches and many more electronic components and devices use quartz crystals.
- Sand containing quartz is used to make glass. Quartz glass is preferred in places with high amounts of heat since this type of glass handles heat well.
- Although there is no scientific data to support this use, quartz crystals were used by different cultures as medicine as healing stones or energy stones.
- Fused quartz is used to make special lenses and glass. Fused quartz allows UV rays to pass through easily and has a high resistance to heat. EPROM chips which were commmonly used on electronics in the 1970's through early 2000's used fused quartz for the glass. Fused quartz is also used for high-end camera lenses and telescope mirrors.
- Granite is a type of igneous rock that contains at least 20 percent quartz. Granite is used for tables, countertops and oranmental fixtures.
Quartz is found in all types of rock including igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
This geode has beautiful quartz crystals inside.
Uses for Quartz
This clock uses a quartz crystal to keep very accurate time.
This EPROM chip uses fused quartz glass on the window to allow UV rays to pass through which allows data to be written to the chip or erased from the chip.
Granite contains more than 20 percent quartz.
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posted by Admin