Quartz? What kind...

[Rox]

HELLO, Fellow rockheads!

I forgot my password and the website name from last years login, but I'm back just like the warm weather.

I have been out with the kids picking rocks and fossils lately. I have a bunch of cool rocks I will be uploading pics of soon. Today I am trying to identify this crystal rock. I'm guessing its some type of quartz and there are hundreds of them laying around in this rock quarry we have been going to. They are obviously not rare since there are so many, but the kids love finding them.

The picture doesn't really show the purplish color they have, but maybe it will be an easy identification for someone here. We found them in North Montana.

 

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[Tigger]

Until the serious folks chime in, you've got me, also a rockhounding mom.

They're what I call "garden rocks" - pretty, but not enuf to put on a bookcase indoors. I can't see any purple, but if you think quartz, and you're seeing purple, they could be amethyst, just not crystally. Since you're rockhounding with your kids, I'm gonna get on my soap box and recommend you find a local rock n gem club - they can help you ID your local rocks, be a great source for future field trips, access, and some of them have awesome stuff for 'pebble pups' to do!!

Also, here is a great resource for what is in your state: Rockhounding Montana | Gator Girl Rocks
she has WAY more on your state than most of them, and if you scroll down there is a Rockhounding sites for children & families - whoo, hoo! crystals! Also a 'limited amount, but hey, it's still petrified wood' site.

Good luck & keep lookin' down!

 

[DDancer]

Looks to be bits of massive quartz. The bit with the crystals contains amethyst quartz crystals if as you say they are purplish. All look to have been rolled in a stream. Good find

 

[Rox]

Thanks for the link above^^

Yes the quartz has a purplish color to it. I found a bunch of them and cleaned up a small one, held it to the light and the color is grey, smokey quartz I would assume.

They were all found in with millions of river rocks. Montana was once covered by ocean. Once the water receded it left behind tons of of river rocks in the ground. Ice glaciers came and went depositing all kinds of cool rocks and fossils throughout the rolling hills.

If I'm finding these types of quartz in the area, what else would be common?