Image: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/47445767@N05">James St. John</a> (CC BY 2.0)
trigonalcommonSilicates
Milky Quartz
SiO2
Milky quartz is a white to translucent variety of quartz, characterized by its cloudy or milky appearance due to microscopic fluid inclusions. In this image, it forms a white, massive matrix for vibrant purple amethyst crystals.
Milky Quartz Physical Properties
Mohs Hardness
7Crystal System
trigonalLuster
vitreousStreak Color
whiteCleavage
noneFracture
conchoidalSpecific Gravity
2.65Colors
white, translucent whiteTransparency
translucentType Locality
Diamond Hill, Ashaway Village, Hopkinton, Rhode Island, USAMineral Group
SilicatesUses
industrial, collector, ornamentalAssociated Minerals
amethystRarity
commonGeological Context
Milky quartz commonly forms in hydrothermal veins, pegmatites, and various igneous and metamorphic rocks, often crystallizing from silica-rich fluids at lower temperatures. Its milky appearance is typically caused by trapped water or gas bubbles during its formation.
