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7.2" Smoky Quartz Cluster - Brazil
This is a cluster of dark black, smoky quartz crystals from Brazil. The entire plate is 7.2 inches wide and the longest point is just over 3.3 inches long. The crystals on the specimen are relatively small, however, nearly all of the crystals are damage free and have beautiful smokey coloration. It has not been heated or treated to change the natural color. The main crystal in the center has some slight damage to its termination.
About Quartz
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.
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.
About Smoky Quartz
Smoky quartz is a variety of quartz distinguished by its smoky gray to deep brown or nearly black coloration, a name inspired by the hazy, smoke-like appearance within the crystal. While some specimens can appear very dark or even opaque, most smoky quartz remains at least partially translucent, allowing light to pass through its internal veils and zoning. The color develops when trace amounts of aluminum within the quartz lattice are exposed to natural irradiation over geologic time, subtly altering the crystal structure and producing its characteristic smoky tones.
Smoky quartz is a variety of quartz distinguished by its smoky gray to deep brown or nearly black coloration, a name inspired by the hazy, smoke-like appearance within the crystal. While some specimens can appear very dark or even opaque, most smoky quartz remains at least partially translucent, allowing light to pass through its internal veils and zoning. The color develops when trace amounts of aluminum within the quartz lattice are exposed to natural irradiation over geologic time, subtly altering the crystal structure and producing its characteristic smoky tones.
SPECIES
Quartz var. Smoky
LOCATION
Minas Gerais, Brazil
SIZE
7.2" long, 5.7" wide. Longest point 3.3"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#60766
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