Quartz
Quartz is one of the most famous minerals on the earth. It occurs in essentially all mineral environments, and is the crucial constituent of many rocks. It is likewise the maximum varied of all minerals, taking place in all distinct habits, and colorings. There are more range names given to Quartz than any other mineral.
Quartz occurs as an important constituent of those igneous rocks which have an excess of silica, such as granite, rhyolite, pegmatite. It is extremely resistant to both mechanical and chemical attack, and thus the breakdown of igneous rocks containing it yields quartz grains which may accumulate and form the sedimentary rock sandstone.Also occurs in metamorphic rocks, as gneisses and schists, while it forms practically the only mineral of quartzites. Deposited often from solution and is the most common vein and gangue mineral.
Application Usages
For centuries, quartz has been used in jewelry production and as gemstones. The hard, polishable, crystalline and durable nature of quartz make it an excellent material for this purpose. The varieties of quartz popularly used as jewelry and gemstones include Citrine, Amethyst, Ametrine, rose quartz, Aventurine, and Opal. Quartz with microcrystalline (cryptocrystalline) structures like Agate and Jasper is also used as gemstones.
Quartz crystals contain oscillators that possess the ability to vibrate at precise frequencies that helps to regulate the movement of the watch or clock, thereby making them accurate timepieces. Quartz crystals possess the piezoelectric effect (the ability to produce electricity when subjected to mechanical stress) which is also used to keep a tab on time.
Just like in the production of wristwatches and clocks, quartz crystals are also used in electronics because it generates current on its surface when bent or compressed. Quartz crystals have been used for years to give an accurate frequency for all radio transmitters, radio receivers, GPS transmitters, and computers. This accuracy comes from the fact that quartz crystal is unaffected by most solvents, and remains crystalline to hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit.
Glassmaking is one of the primary uses of quartz. Glass is manufactured from a chemical compound known as Silica dioxide (SiO2) (a colorless crystalline compound found as quartz, sand or flint). This silica dioxide (which must be 99.9% exceptionally pure) is melted and allowed to cool down into whichever shape or dimension desired. Optical-based quartz crystals are used in the manufacture of lasers, microscopes, telescopes, electronic sensors, and scientific instruments.
Silica sand, alongside water and other chemicals under high pressure, is forced down into a bedrock formation via a well. The high pressure fractures the bedrock, the silica sand injects into the fractures and holds it in place, creating a passage for the flow of natural gas from the bedrock formation into the well. This process is known as hydraulic fracturing.
