Quartz stone: Description for children "The World"

Quartz - One of the most famous minerals on our planet. It is widely used in everyday life and different areas of industry and is a component of human blood.

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Below you will find a description of quartz for children, for the subject the world around. Study further in the article.

Content

What a quartz stone looks like: photo and description

When most people hear the word “quartz”, they probably represent transparent or translucent crystals resembling pieces of molten glass. A similar mineral is one of the popular species of quartz and its name “Mount Crystal”. Here is his photo:

However, in natural form, in the earth's crust, other species of quartz can be found. Mount crystal is the purest mineral, and other types of quartz are obtained when some other impurities fall into the natural mass of the stone. It all depends on the composition - the minerals differ greatly in the parameters, shape, structure and shade.

The color of quartz is very diverse: from completely colorless and transparent, to bright tones of red, yellow and blue.
It can also be black.

The inner surface of the crystals is either transparent, or is habitable for a mesh of the shallow cracks that erode it.

The composition and properties of the mineral - quartz

Quartz translated from an ancient language means "solid." This mineral is silicon oxide. Here are also information about the composition and properties:

Chemical formula - SIO2 (silicon oxide).
The temperature of its swimming trunks is about +1728 degrees Celsius. It is worth noting that the melt of minerals is quite viscous, it is almost impossible to determine the exact temperature, so different sources can give different information about t ° swimming trunks.
Quartz is a dielectric and practically does not carry out the electricity.
Its density is 2,6-2.65 g/cm³, hardness in MOOS-7 out of 10.
Usually this crystal is free, but it can be matte white due to the presence of a large number of cracks.

It can be painted in other tones due to different impurities, including the remains of other minerals (for example, iron oxide).

Where does the quartz stone come from?

Quartz has been known to people since ancient times. They are easy to find and extract from the ground without special tools. In addition, they are strong and beautiful. Ancient people used this mineral not only for jewelry, but also for the manufacture of tools - axes, knives. Where does the quartz stone come from?

The conditions of the origin of the mineral are different.
He can crystallize from acidic magma.
Quartz can also be found in sedimentary rocks, such as dolomite and limestone. In these breeds, it is located in the form of closed cavities, nations (spherical mineral units), veins and small -crystal fragments.

Also, this stone can be found in the form of mixtures and silicates. He himself can be in other minerals.

Varieties of quartz: their diversity

There are many varieties of quartz (more than two dozen), which differ from each other in the main shade. So, the mineral can look like a colorless crystal (mountain crystal) or a dark opaque semi-collet stone (onyx) with white, black, pink or yellow patterns on a brown or reddish-brown background, respectively.

There are also such varieties of quartz as halzedon, citrine, cat's eye, tiger eye and falcon eye. The names of the latest varieties often arouse interest among schoolchildren, as they are unusual and very beautiful. It is worth noting that many types of minerals are used to make jewelry.

Pink quartz: description of stone

Transparent crystals of pink quartz with clean faces are rare, usually they are muddy or with cracks.
The intensity of color is affected by impurities, such as manganese, iron and titanium.

Some samples have an effect of asterism (with good light on a polished surface, asterisms are visible - running light stars).
Color fades in the light and completely disappears when heated to 300 ° C.

Quartz - green stone: description and properties

By chemical composition is silicon oxide (II). Quartz - green stone - Solid, but fragile and requires careful handling, especially during processing. It can be transparent or matte. Synthetic stones obtained by firing low -quality citrins or amethysts are often sold in stores. The price of artificial green quartz is much lower than natural.

Due to its cheapness, it is most often used as a craftsmith or decorative material. Beautiful jewelry is made from it - beads, inserts for rings, earrings, etc. However, collectors value pure, homogeneous samples. They evaluate such a stone.

How and where is the quartz stone mined?

Quartz - This is a very common stone, and its deposits are not uncommon. So far, deposits have not been found only in Antarctica, but this is only a matter of time. However, not all of its reserves are of industrial importance. Minerals are supplied to the world market mainly the following countries:

Brazil
Australia
Sri Lanka
Madagascar

In addition, some countries are recognized as leaders in the extraction of any varieties of this stone. For example:

In Russia in the South Urals Make the highest quality adventurine ore in the world. This is a variety of quartz with green color without interspersed.
Beautiful crystals of rock crystal mines in Italy and France.
Australian and Brazilian amethysts, as well as German and Armenian amethysts are in demand among jewelers.

Depending on the nature of the deposit, there are three ways to extract crystals:

With the help of explosions - This is the least effective method, also harmful to the environment. The result is low -quality crystals, usually with cracks and chips. But this method remains popular due to its low cost.
Air Pillow method - The effect of high pressure is used to destroy the breed. It is created by pumping air into a special container placed in the well. This method causes only insignificant damage to the breed.
Kamerez - This is the most gentle method, but also the most expensive. Its cost is quite high due to the use of special equipment.

As mentioned above, quartz is also synthesized artificially.

The modern application of quartz in everyday life

Quartz is used in jewelry due to its strength. Here are also information about the modern application of quartz in everyday life:

From specially robbed stones are made Books, earrings and bracelets.
Crystal vases, figurines and ashtrays From this mineral they are very beautiful and unusual, and today such items can be seen in many houses.
There is still such a term "Quartz clock". This accessory is called so for reason: quartz is used in the hourly mechanism to check the accuracy of the course.
Optics - Different devices consist of quartz, which add strength to them and other similar qualities.
Thanks to its piezoelectric properties, the mineral is also used in radios and telephone equipment.
It is also used in production ultrasound generators.

A large amount of raw materials are used in production refractory quartz glass To obtain products resistant to temperature extremes. These include laboratory utensils, insulators and tigers.

Artificial crystals of quartz

The artificial quartz has several advantages over natural - good chemical purity and homogeneous structure due to the more uniform distribution of impurities.

In addition, monocrystals are grown on an industrial scale, while dual -dedicated ones are common in a natural environment.
Single crystals are suitable for use in optical and electronic industries.
Synthetic minerals can be grown in almost any color and saturation, which makes them suitable for jewelry. You can also grow crystals with a gradient - original transitions from one color to another.

Interesting: On an industrial scale, you can get colors that are not found in a natural environment or very rare. These are blue, blue and green crystals.

Interesting facts about quartz

So, we have already introduced you to the main information about a mineral as quartz. The teacher can tell the following interesting facts about this stone:

Quartz is one of the most common minerals found in the earth's crust.
The name "quartz" comes from the German word meaning "solid".
For everyone, well -known stones as amethyst and citrine are also quartz.
Black quartz becomes golden when heated to +300 ° C and transparent when heated to +400 ° C.
Many are familiar with the expression "quartz clock". Manufacturers use this crystal to control the accuracy of the course. A clock with quartz details are considered the most accurate.
Quartz lenses are much stronger than glass.
In its pure form, this mineral always has good transparency or it is completely matte - white.
Quartz crystals are usually found symmetrically fused with each other, and all their parts are the same.
Quartz can be used to make glass.
Under certain conditions, quartz can be extracted from granite in the earth's crust.

In addition, quartz can be artificially synthesized, and such stones are cleaner and more interesting than natural ones.