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Quartz Crystal Origin
by Fire_Opal


A crystal is a beautiful, perfect form. It contains within it harmony, balance, clarity and perfection. A quartz crystal takes over 10,000 years to form. They come from deep within the Earth's core, and were formed when the Earth was evolving. Natural quartz crystals, often referred to by ancient traditions as the "veils of the earth," frozen water or frozen light, combined the elements silicon and water through a lengthy process involving heat and pressure. They are buried in the Earth, or sometimes in stream beds where they have washed down from higher ground after being dislodged. They are often found near gold. Varieties of quartz crystal, sometimes called rock crystal, are found all over the world. The largest numbers of crystals are mined in Arkansas and Brazil.
Ninety per cent of the Earth's crust is made up of the mineral group known as silicates, a combination of silicon and oxygen, plus other elements. The simplest cilicate is silicon and oxygen quartz crystal. Chemically, it is the oxide of the element silicon, and its chemical formula is SiO2. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale. The crystal structure of quartz is hexagonal with void spaces in geometric trails throughout the crystal.
The name crystal comes from the Freak word crystllos meaning "clear ice," for the ancient Greeks thought that these transparent rock crystals were in fact frozen water turned into stone. Another legend has it that Holy Water was poured out of the Heavens by God and frozen to ice in outer space on its voyage to Earth. Angels petrified the "Holy Ice" to preserve it as a protective blessing for humanity.
Quartz is the most common mineral found on the Earth. In the world of gemstones, quartz supplies more different varieties than any other mineral. Gem quartzes can be divided into three main groups: (1) crystallized quartz, (2) compact quartz, and (3) cryptocrystalline quartz.
Most crystals are formed by the repetitive addition of new matter to a growing crystalline mass. Some crystals have their origin in the magma or fiery gases of the Earth's interior or in the volcanic lava streams which reach the Earth's surface. these minerals, which include quartz, are called igneous. They are formed by the solidification of this molten mineral as it cools and hardens. As the molten rock mass cools, the atoms group together to form the essential regularity which determines the shape and composition of the crystal.
Some crystals grow from vapors in vents in volcanic regions. This type of crystal includes sulfur, and is condensed from hot mineralized gases into a solid state as the vapors are escaping from the inner Earth.
Also, new minerals are formed by the recrystallization of existing minerals under great pressure and high temperatures in the lower regions of the Earth's crust. These metamorphic mineral undergo structural and chemical changes after original formation, reorganizing the atoms and creating different textures, compositions and crystals.