Specific weight of quartz, properties, varieties and value table

Quartz is one of the most common minerals in nature and an important rock-forming component of many igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Quartz itself is commonly estimated at about 12% of the Earth's lithosphere by mass, while higher shares in the crust refer to silicate minerals as a whole. The mineral name is associated with the German word Quarz; one version of the origin points to words meaning "hard".

Table of the specific weight of quartz

Quartz density is a reference physical value. For household and construction calculations, the average value of 2.65 g/cm³ is usually used, which corresponds to about 2650 kg for 1 m³ of dense quartz without voids.

To simplify the calculations, below is a table with the values of the specific weight of quartz, as well as such a parameter as the weight of quartz depending on the units of measurement.

Properties of quartz

Pure quartz is colorless or white due to crystal defects and internal cracks; however, this type of material can have various colors depending on impurities and inclusions of other minerals. It can dissolve in alkali melts and hydrofluoric acid.

This type of material has many varieties of different shades, each with its own name.

The melting temperature of quartz ranges from 1713 to 1728 °C. This type of material is classified as piezoelectric and dielectric.

This type of mineral belongs to glass-forming oxides, which makes it possible to use quartz as the main component of glass.

Quartz exhibits polymorphism and is divided into two modifications: low-temperature alpha quartz and high-temperature beta quartz. It also has four polymorphic modifications that are independent types of minerals:

• Cristobalite modification
• Tridymite modification
• Coesite modification
• Stishovite modification

Varieties of quartz

Quartz has many varieties depending on different impurities, forming various independent types of materials, such as:

• Aventurine. Quartzite with iron and ordinary mica, having a shimmering red color with a brownish shade or a yellowish color.
• Agate. A variety of quartz — banded chalcedony.
• Amethyst. Purple quartz.
• Binghamite. Iridescent quartz with goethite inclusions.
• Hair quartz. A variety of quartz forming rock crystal with inclusions of tourmaline, rutile or other similar minerals capable of forming needle-like crystals.
• Rock crystal. Quartz in the form of transparent colorless crystals.
• Flint. Quartz with the addition of cristobalite, chalcedony and opal, having fine-grained aggregates of variable composition.
• Morion. A variety of black crystal.
• Prase. Green quartz with actinolite inclusions.
• Prasiolite. A change in yellow quartz through a calcination process, resulting in green quartz with an onion-like shade.
• Rauchtopaz. Smoky quartz of gray or brown color with a light shade.
• Rose quartz. A variety of pink quartz.
• Chalcedony. A fine-fibrous, cryptocrystalline variety of translucent quartz ranging from white to yellow with a honey shade.
• Citrine. A variety of yellow quartz with a lemon shade.
• Sapphire quartz. A coarse-grained quartz aggregate with a bluish shade.
• Cat's eye. A variety of quartz with a light sheen of white, gray or pinkish color.
• Hawk's eye. A gray quartz aggregate with a bluish shade.
• Tiger's eye. A brown quartz aggregate with a golden shade.
• Onyx. A variety of quartz with characteristic parallel layers of different colors.
• Heliotrope. A variety of dark green silica with an admixture of oxides, chalcedony, iron hydroxides and other minerals, with stripes and bright red spots.