2.9" Quartz Stalactite Slice - Uruguay

This is a polished slice, of "stalactite" from within a quartz geode. These polished slices are gorgeous, displaying some wonderful banding. They come from the famous amethyst mines near Artigas, Uruguay.

Quartz is the name given to silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust. Quartz crystals generally grow in silica-rich environments--usually igneous rocks or hydrothermal environments like geothermal waters--at temperatures between 100°C and 450°C, and usually under very high pressure. In either case, crystals will precipitate as temperatures cool, just as ice gradually forms when water freezes. Quartz veins are formed when open fissures are filled with hot water during the closing stages of mountain formation: these veins can be hundreds of millions of years old.

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DETAILS
SPECIES
Quartz
LOCATION
Artigas, Uruguay
SIZE
2.9" wide, about 1/4" thick
ITEM
#101153