Sedimentary rock and the role of quartz
Why is quartz the most common mineral found in sandstones?
Choose the correct answers:
a. Quartz is stable in Earth's surface conditions
b. Quartz is a byproduct of chemical weathering
c. Quartz is the most weather-resistant material
d. Quartz is the most prevalent mineral in igneous and metamorphic rocks
Answer:
a. Quartz is stable in Earth's surface conditions
b. Quartz is a byproduct of chemical weathering
c. Quartz is the most weather-resistant material
When sand granules are compressed and bonded together over the course of hundreds or millions of years, sandstone, a sedimentary rock, is created. The quartz or feldspar minerals that were worn off of other rocks and pulverised into pebbles frequently make up the sand grains.
Quartz is the most common mineral in sandstones and the second most common mineral in mudrocks because it is stable in the circumstances found at the Earth's surface and because it is also a byproduct of chemical weathering. The most prevalent mineral in igneous and metamorphic rocks is feldspar. The most weather-resistant material is quartz. It is also a typical element of many of the igneous and metamorphic rocks that may be found on the surface of the Earth. Clay is created when many minerals weather. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that quartz and clays make up the majority of the silicate minerals in clastic rocks.