

If the sandstone gets buried ever more deeply underneath layers of rocks, it gets hotter and more compressed. Over time, the sand grains become compressed and stuck together to form sandstone. Quartzite begins its geologic life as sand grains, perhaps on a beach, desert dune, or riverbed. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock made almost entirely of the mineral quartz. Unfortunately, it has variable labelling.Įmerald Green Quartzite at VSG. But it isn’t quartzite has very consistent properties. Because each of these stones behaves differently, people might understandably conclude that quartzite is variable.

Some quartzite is the real deal, but sometimes marble or dolomitic marble are labelled as quartzite. I’ll get right to the point: quartzite is commonly mislabeled. Let’s use my favourite tool – geology – to suss out the answer to this mystery. Which is it? Why are there such conflicting reports about quartzite? Yet, others report that it’s harder than granite. Sometimes you hear it’s a hybrid between marble and granite. A quick internet search will reveal an unsettling disparity of information. Quartzite may be the most confusing natural stone out there.
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Read the full article, The Definitive Guide to Quartzites by Karin Kirk here. It answers a lot of commonly asked questions about one of our favourite Brazilian stones. Here’s a great article we found on a Guide to Quartzites. Use Natural Stone is a great online resource for learning everything natural stone.
