QUARTZ

Quartz is a hard mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). Its atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen atom being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical formula of SiO2. Therefore, quartz is classified structurally as a framework silicate mineral and compositionally as an oxide mineral. Quartz is the second most common mineral or mineral group in Earth's lithosphere, comprising about 12% by mass.