Natural Quartzite

What is Quartzite?

Quartzite is a non-foliated metamorphic rock composed almost entirely of quartz. It forms when a quartz-rich sandstone is altered by the heat, pressure, and chemical activity of metamorphism. Metamorphism re-crystallizes the sand grains and the silica cement that binds them together. The result is a network of interlocking quartz grains of incredible strength. The interlocking crystalline structure of quartzite makes it a hard, tough, durable rock. It is so tough that it breaks through the quartz grains rather than breaking along the boundaries between them. This is a characteristic that separates true quartzite from sandstone.

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one of the most physically durable and chemically resistant rocks

Quartzite is one of the most physically durable and chemically resistant rocks found at Earth's surface. When mountain ranges are worn down by weathering and erosion, less-resistant and less-durable rocks are destroyed, but the quartzite remains. This is why quartzite is so often the rock found at the crests of mountain ranges and covering their flanks as large boulders, or as a surface litter of scree.