Metaquartzite
“Sandstone reborn as solid quartz”
Metaquartzite forms when quartz-rich sandstone is subjected to intense heat and pressure, causing the original sand grains to recrystallize and fuse into a dense, extremely hard rock. Unlike sedimentary quartzite, metaquartzite breaks through the grains rather than around them.
quartz (90%+), muscovite, feldspar (minor), garnet (rare), kyanite (rare)
Baraboo Hills (Wisconsin, USA), Table Mountain (South Africa), Minas Gerais (Brazil), Scandinavian Mountains
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Metaquartzite is so hard and resistant to weathering that it often forms the tops of mountain ridges long after the softer surrounding rocks have eroded away.
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Photo Attribution
Title: Quartzite (metaquartzite) (2.6 centimeters across at its widest).jpg
Author: James St. John
License: CC BY 2.0
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