quartz: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Oct. 30, 2026

News •

Clouds on a lava planet challenge what astronomers expected • Oct. 26, 2026, 1:20 PM ET (Phys.org)

Photos and Videos

A sample of amethyst, trigonal silicon oxide, from Amatitlán, Guerrero, Mex.

quartz with hematite inclusions

Quartz agates from Mexico.

A large, translucent smoky quartz crystal with a pointed tip and visible striations sits on a plain surface.

Learn about sands, which are formed from quartz and also the formation of smooth, sandy beaches

Learn about the mining and purification of silicon

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

fused quartz high quartz left-handed quartz low quartz quartz cat’s-eye right-handed quartz flint chert and flint jasper amethyst opal coesite tridymite cristobalite stishovite

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Basalt sample returned by Apollo 15, from near a long sinous lunar valley called Hadley Rille. Measured at 3.3 years old.

(Bed) Rocks and (Flint) Stones