Selected Virginia Minerals (Part 2)
Quartz
• Quartz is common in all Virginia provinces.
• In the Coastal Plain, quartz can be found as transported grains in sand and gravel deposits.
• Quartz crystals are common in the igneous and metamorphic rocks in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge. Especially large crystals have been found in Amelia, Amherst, and Floyd Counties.
• In the Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus, quartz grains are common in sandstone and conglomerate. Microcrystalline quartz, in the form of chert, can also be found.
Quartz (Photographs by Parvinder Sethi)
The milky quartz crystal in the left photograph was found in Orange County. The amethyst (purple) was found in Albemarle County. The quartz crystals in the right photograph were found in Bath County.