Quartz Mines

Quartz is the most common mineral in the continental crust of Earth. It is composed of silicon and oxygen and is common throughout the world, although most of it is not crystallized. Quartz crystals are also valued for their beauty as mineral specimens and gemstones.

Quartz is mined by surface mining most of the time. A backhoe is used to take away the dirt and rock that is covering the vein. Only large mines own and use heavy equipment all the time. Quartz is generally a part of many rocks generally transparent and resistant against most chemical, especially acids, so it is very useful to store dangerous chemicals in quartz containers. Quartz is used in radios, as crystal gems, sandpaper, soap, prisms, glass, paints, clocks, watches, and computers. It is used for radar, radios, and TVs because it conducts electricity. Quartz crystals can be found in quartz mines which can be extracted by using chisels, pry bars, and dentist tools to get the quartz out without wrecking it. A number of the general shapes like round, oval, marquise, square, princess cut, pear and a lot more are available in quartz mines.

Quartz is generally the most resistant component, so it will remain when all other components are soluted by the water and transorted away. There are no special quartz mines, although it is used in huge amounts for the production of electronic parts. Quartz is a common mineral that becomes crystallized under extreme geologic pressure. Its average content ranges from 58% to 63% (weight percent). These crystals have been used to make oscillators for radios, computer chips, and clocks. Most of the quartz is extracted from open pit mines. Sometimes explosives are used to expose pockets of quartz. A crystal that has been underground can be damaged by sudden change of temperature. So, the width of the vein, the softness of the rock, the amount of work done and the skill of the workmen are very important in estimating the cost of quartz-mining.