definition
strict definition
quartz
A hard crystalline mineral occurring in many colors, normally clear or whitish when used on building facades.
Pictured: Ohio Courts Building
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral which occurs in a wide variety of colors. The grade used in building facades is normally clear or a whitish color.
The clear or whitish varieties are usual in facade work, but the mineral can have other colors. Color is a descriptive characteristic rather than the sole basis for identification.
Quartzite is a separate metamorphic rock formed from sandstone. It is not interchangeable with this mineral designation merely because it contains quartz.
Related definitions
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alabaster
A translucent gypsum or calcite stone, usually decorative indoors but occasionally used as a facade material. -
basalt
A dark, generally fine-grained igneous facade stone formed when lava cools and solidifies at the surface. -
gabbro
A dark, visibly grained intrusive igneous facade stone formed underground, here also including finer-grained diabase. -
granite
A hard, visibly grained igneous facade stone formed from magma cooling underground, used rough or polished. -
limestone
A sedimentary stone composed mainly of calcium carbonate, commonly used in natural stone building facades. -
marble
A brittle rock formed from calcite crystal and prized for its mottled patterns. -
quartzite
A hard natural facade stone formed by the metamorphism and recrystallization of sandstone under heat and pressure. -
sandstone
A natural sedimentary facade stone made of cemented sand grains, commonly quartz, with varied colors and textures. -
serpentinite
A green metamorphic facade stone composed mainly of serpentine minerals, often selected for its color and pattern. -
slate
A metamorphic stone that splits into sheets, used as facade sheets or shingles outside roof surfaces. -
soapstone
A soft, talc-rich metamorphic rock with a slippery feel, used as a natural stone material on building facades. -
suevite
A composite rock formed in a meteor impact containing glass and fragments of rocks. -
travertine
A calcium-carbonate stone deposited from water, used as decorative natural stone and sometimes called travertine marble. -
tuff
A relatively soft volcanic rock made from consolidated erupted material, used as a textured natural facade stone.