Where Does Quartzite Come From?

Where Quartzite Comes From

Quartzite is a smooth, metamorphic rock that comes from sandstone, which itself is a rock formed from sediments of quartz. When sandstone becomes buried underground, heat and pressure join with silica to force grains of quartzite to form crystals and harden into quartzite. Pure quartzite will appear to be gray or white, but impurities like iron oxide, feldspar or zircon may get into the mix to create yellow, red or even orange quartzite rocks. The purest form of quartzite, orthoquartzite, is composed of 99 percent silicon oxide--virtually pure quartz.

Where Quartzite Can Be Found

No discussion of finding quartzite would be complete without mentioning Quartzite, Arizona. Boasting a million visitors a year, rock and gem enthusiasts vacation in Quartzite and take in the many rock shows and fairs. Many ridges in the Appalachian Mountains are made of quartzite. Formations of quartzite can be found in abundance at Palisades State Park in South Dakota, which boasts 50-foot quartzite cliffs. Death Valley National Park, near San Bernardino, Calif., also has quartzite-rich formations. The rocks on Mount Battie in Vermont are made of quartzite. Internationally, there are quartzite occurrences in Brazil, Spain, India, Turkey and Greenland.

Uses of Quartzite

Quartzite is a popular stone for roofing and flooring because of its propensity to break into flat surfaces. Silica and silica brick are also common forms. In crushed form, you will find quartzite in road construction, especially as a track bed for railroad tracks because of its hardness. Quartzite sand is used for a variety of construction purposes, notably for concrete block production, septic tank covers and golf course bunkers. Quartzite rocks can be dyed to form decorative gems for jewelry and paperweights.

References

• Quartzite Rock
• Quartzite