Quartzite facts for kids
Quartzite is a very tough metamorphic rock. This means it started as one type of rock and changed into another due to extreme heat and pressure. It forms deep underground, often beneath huge mountain ranges.
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How Quartzite Forms
Quartzite begins its life as sandstone. Sandstone is a rock made from tiny grains of sand, usually quartz, cemented together. When sandstone gets buried deep inside the Earth, it experiences incredible heat and pressure. This often happens during the formation of mountains.
Under these conditions, the sand grains and the cement holding them together actually melt and then reform. This process is called recrystallization. It makes the rock much harder and stronger than the original sandstone. The new quartzite is so strong that it can even break across the quartz grains themselves, not just around them.
What Colors Can Quartzite Be?
Pure quartzite is usually white or light gray. However, it often comes in many different colors! You might see it in shades of pink or red. This happens when there's a little bit of iron oxide (which is like rust) mixed in with the rock.
Other colors, like yellow, orange, or even blue, can appear due to other tiny bits of different minerals. These minerals are called impurities. They give the quartzite its unique and beautiful look.
What is Quartzite Used For?
Because quartzite is so hard and durable, it's used for many things. It's great for building materials, like floor tiles, countertops, and decorative stones. Its strength also makes it useful in construction, for things like roadbeds and railway tracks.
Sometimes, quartzite is even used to make tools. Ancient people used hard rocks like quartzite to create sharp tools and weapons because they could hold a strong edge.
Images for kids
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Quartzite, containing darker bands, from Maurienne Valley in the French Alps
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Quartzite can have a grainy, glassy, sandpaper-like surface
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Abandoned quartzite mine in Kakwa Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
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Quartzite biface hand axe from Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Quartzite from Salangen, South Troms, Norway
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A very thin slice of quartzite from Salangen, South Troms, Norway, seen under a microscope
See also
In Spanish: Cuarcita para niños
