Quartzite

Quartzite is a natural stone of high strength with a wide range of colors. Natural beauty and durability made it an excellent material for interior design, exterior decoration of buildings, and monumental construction. The famous French architect of the 19th century Louis Visconti used crimson Shoshka quartzite (the deposit is located in Karelia) to create a sarcophagus for Napoleon Bonaparte.

It is a metamorphic rock composed primarily of quartz, one of the most abundant minerals in the earth's crust. Quartzite was formed by metamorphism (structural change under the influence of high temperatures and pressure) from siliceous sediments. Most often, its formation is associated with the recrystallization of quartz sandstones or igneous rocks, such as porphyry.

The stone has a dense granular structure: microscopic grains of quartz merge into a solid mass with a splintered or concave fracture. At a fracture, the stone has a typical quartz luster. According to the classification of M. Bauer, the breed belongs to semi-precious ornamental stones - this order also includes malachite, jasper and jade. Basic shades: white, gray, red. In nature, quartzites are also found in other colors: light yellow, brown, blue.

Many varieties of quartzite are valuable minerals. Ferruginous (magnetite) quartzites are the most important iron ore. Secondary quartzites are a special variety. Deposits of secondary quartzites are formed as a result of relatively low-temperature metasomatic transformation of acidic and intermediate effusive, less often intrusive acidic rocks and their tuffs. Deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, polymetals and pyrites are associated with secondary quartzites.