Quartzite
/ˈkwɔːrt.saɪt/noun
A hard metamorphic rock formed when quartz-rich sandstone is subjected to heat and pressure.
Did you know?Quartzite can preserve ancient sand grains while recording the immense heat and pressure that reshaped the rock around them.
Etymological Timeline
Prehistoric era
Various
quartz-rich sandstone
“Sandstone containing abundant quartz grains, later capable of metamorphic transformation”
16th Century
German
Quarz
“Quartz; the crystalline mineral name from which the later geological term developed”
18th Century
German
Quarzit
“A rock composed predominantly of quartz, formed through geological processes”
19th Century
Scientific English
quartzite
“A metamorphic quartz-rich rock, named with the mineral suffix -ite”
Modern English
English
quartzite
“A dense, durable metamorphic rock produced mainly from quartz sandstone”