the bedrock
quartz
milky quartz · SiO2
The tell
Glassy or greasy-looking, no visible grains, and it will scratch glass. Calcite looks similar but is soft and fizzes in vinegar.
Milky quartz is the most commonly pocketed "maybe something" on any beach in Michigan. It is almost always just quartz, and it is still a nice rock.
What it gets mistaken for
- quartzite
- sea glass
- banded chert
- calcite
- feldspar
The facts
- also calledmilky quartz · SiO2
- ageage varies
- where it turns upevery shore · glacial float
- on the chartthe bedrock · 1000 stickers ever
Put it on the shelf
Every stone on this chart is drawn and kiss-cut at three inches. The rarer the stone, the fewer exist: only 1000 quartz will ever be printed, then the run is retired.
10% of every order goes to the Roscommon County Animal Shelter.